


we were just like glue

by togetherwecouldbealright



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Library, M/M, stick with me through this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-23
Updated: 2013-08-25
Packaged: 2017-12-21 02:55:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 23,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/894966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/togetherwecouldbealright/pseuds/togetherwecouldbealright
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Louis works in a library where his own books sit on the shelves. Also, there may or may not be a Harry Styles involved and he may or may not be Louis' muse. Not that Louis is admitting to anything.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is now a thing! Literally pray I work through this. Wish me good luck. Seriously. No, but this lovely thing is for Sara, my darling soulmate who pushes me to do my shit and threatens to kick my ass when I get lazy. Yeah. That's pretty much it. This'll probably be three parts and hopefully over 20k. It was supposed to be an oneshot but then I thought, "fuck this," and now here we are. It's sort of like a prize I suppose because Never Shut Us Down hit a thousand kudos which is astounding. Oh and the title is from 'Let It Out' by Ed Sheeran. That's it.
> 
> 2017 EDIT: this work does not accurately depict the process of publishing a book. The first step is to write a full manuscript of your novel. Next you have to write a query letter which you will send to literary agents. Then you wait for a response and when an agent chooses you, they will find you a publisher. After that comes the entire editing process and eventually publishing a book. 14 year old me did not know about any of this when she wrote this fic but 18 year old me merely wanted to make a disclaimer. Thank you to everyone who's still reading this!

Louis is twenty one and his life is shit.

Louis has always thought fairytales were overrated. When his mother read them to him as bedtime stories when he was young, he would complain, “That’s not how it works, mum! Not everything can be _right_!”

He thinks he’s always known way too much than he should. His whole life is like a spoiler, nothing surprises him anymore.

The thing is, while Louis is a realist, he encourages those who are idealists. He thinks the world would be a dark, hopeless place if it weren’t for those who dreamed of perfection.

Louis dreams of perfection too, but not in the way most people do. He dreams of it in the petals of roses, the cracks in pavements, the laughs of his sisters, the warmth of sunlight and most importantly the words on pages.

Louis knows fairytales aren’t real and he says so to his first English teacher who stares at him in surprise. She later encourages him to write his own story then, to make fairytales real.

So at age eight, Louis begins to write.

He writes of boys with superpowers and the end of the world, he writes of cancer patients and their road to survival, he writes of strangers meeting on a road trip and finally finding their home in each other, he writes, he writes, he writes.

As the years pass, he doesn’t forget there’s no such thing as happy endings.

Everyone is stunned by him and he doesn’t know why. He’s only fourteen and teachers praise him continuously—they say he’s a prodigy.

Louis thinks they’re crazy but he doesn’t say anything. He keeps his comments to himself and continues to write. He becomes something of a recluse, the way he speaks to no one.

The thing is, Louis feels this burning inside of him and he wants to dig inside his chest and tear it out—beat at it with his bare hands and rip it into pieces.

Louis is radiant.

He doesn’t acknowledge it but he’s worth so much more than he thinks. He’s a shooting star but he aims too low, he doesn’t let himself soar high and in everyone’s sight.

He’s sixteen when he’s offered a deal. They tell him they’ll show the whole world his stories and he’ll be given ridiculous amounts of money if he agrees.

He tells them to go fuck themselves.

Louis has isolated himself but not completely. No, there’s Liam and there’s Zayn. They see what everyone else sees in Louis but they’re not intimidated—they take Louis beneath their wing and create something like a home.

Liam’s dad is a publisher, he publishes books for famous, famous authors and he’s well known in the business but Louis doesn’t know that because why should he ever have to worry about something as trivial as his friends’ parents’ jobs of all things?

But one time, he forgets one of his current drafts at Liam’s house and when he comes back the next day for it, Liam’s sitting there on the porch of his house looking bashful.

“My dad has it,” Liam informs when Louis asks where his draft is and Louis pauses, eyes curious.

“Your dad has it,” Louis repeats slowly before asking, “Why exactly?” while raising his eyebrows and crossing his arms across his chest.

Liam sighs before he shrugs and he mumbles, “He thinks you could be the next big thing.”

Louis squints at Liam and tilts his head to the side and then he realizes Liam’s actually being serious because Liam’s not the type to be an asshole for a laugh.

“What does he know about anything?” Louis wonders defensively and his skin is crawling—he doesn’t like the idea of his writing being exposed—especially to someone who wasn’t supposed to be reading it in the first place.

“He publishes them for a living, Lou,” Liam declares quietly and Louis’ eyebrows raise into his hairline before he moves closer to Liam, opting to sit down next to the brown haired boy.

“He likes my writing?” Louis asks slowly and he doesn’t look at Liam, instead he stares at the sun which is setting slowly but surely.

”He loved it, Louis. But I know you don’t like people seeing your work, and I’m _so_ sorry,” Liam apologizes and when Louis looks over he looks distraught and much like a kicked puppy.

“Hey, Li, it’s alright, yeah?” Louis says, wrapping an arm around Liam’s shoulders and Liam looks like he’s about to apologize again so Louis cuts him off. “Did he say anything else?”

“He wanted to know if you would be interested in having your books published,” Liam mumbles before he looks up, looking extremely distraught again, “I didn’t say anything of course because I remembered the thing that happened a few months back with all those people who wanted to publish your books. I told him you were the only person who could answer that.”

Louis manages a small smile for Liam because Liam is just so wonderful and genuine. “Li, it’s alright. Do you think I could talk to your dad real quick?”

Liam nods, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth before he hitches a thumb towards the front door. “He’s inside.”

Louis nods back, standing up and tugging Liam along with him. “Li, seriously. It’s okay,” Louis assures and they both step inside with Liam leading the way to his dad’s study.

Liam pauses outside the door, turning to face Louis again. “I—I’m just really sorry, I know how uncomfortable this makes you and I never meant to put you in that situation,” Liam apologizes again and Louis rolls his eyes fondly even though on the inside his heart is hammering against his chest.

“It’s alright. Just. Do you think you could come in with me?” Louis asks and his voice cracks on the last word and he winces as Liam looks at him even more distraught. He’s beginning to think that if he looks up the word distraught in the dictionary, Liam’s face will be there staring back at him.

“Yeah, yeah, of course Lou,” Liam agrees and he opens the door, letting Louis walk in first. Louis takes a deep breath before he steps in.

—

Louis walks out with a handful of papers, a head full of information and a terrified look in his eye. He turns to Liam as soon as he shuts the door, and Liam hugs him without a second thought.

“Louis, you can do this, you know that, right? If anyone can do this, you can. You’re the bravest person I know, you can do this Louis.” Liam keeps up a consistent babble in Louis’ ears before Louis feels okay to breathe again.

He has to talk to his mother and step-father before he does anything but this feels so _official_. Louis honestly feels beyond scared and when he gets home and manages to tell them, they cry because they’re so proud of him but Louis can’t shake the feeling in his chest.

Even when he tells Liam’s father _yes, you can publish my writing_ , he seems to get even more scared. He’s growing up and people are going to read his words and this is happening. This is really happening.

It's all a bit terrifying for Louis, between the meetings and all. He still needs to find an editor that he trusts not to ruin his work and Louis—Louis just feels stressed and still so scared and those aren't feelings he particularly cares for.

It's a Sunday when Zayn pops by, or rather Louis walks in on Zayn sitting on his bed, flipping through some random comic that Louis knows wasn't previously in his room.

"Been told you're looking for an editor?" is what Zayn breaks the silence with when Louis takes a seat on the small couch he has in his room.

Louis snorts, letting his head fall back against the wall with a dull thud. "Liam told you? It's all a bit shit to be honest, I can't find anybody."

Zayn makes in indignant sound and Louis looks up to see Zayn's insulted expression. Louis immediately backtracks, trying to see if he said something that might have come off wrong but when he can't seem to find anything, he raises an eyebrow at Zayn and snaps, "What?"

"Louis, you haven't asked _me_ ," Zayn reminds, lips turning down a bit and Louis opens his mouth to reply before he falters, a bit dumbfounded.

"Wait, you- are you _offering_?" Louis asks incredulously and Zayn gives him a blank look before there's a body colliding with his, fingers digging into his sides.

"You little _shit_ , of course I'm offering," Zayn confirms but he doesn't stop tickling Louis and Louis can't stop the breathless laughter from falling out of his lips.

"You could have said something!" Louis finally manages to get out once Zayn stops and settles against his side instead.

"Me? How about _you_. You're so--so _Louis_. How do you always manage to miss what's right in front of you?" Zayn says it in a joking manner, but his eyes are inexplicably sad as he stares at Louis and Louis wants to shrink under Zayn's stare.

Instead of answering, he asks again, to confirm, "You'll really be my editor?" quietly and Zayn sighs exasperatedly, before smacking a kiss to Louis' cheek.

"Of course, you twat. You think anyone else could put up with your horrible smelling feet and coffee runs at two in the morning?" Zayn asks fondly, nudging Louis' side.

Louis lets out a sound that's the mix of a sigh of relief and an indignant squawk. "I'll have you know Malik, you _love_ my feet and my coffee runs," Louis responds with a pout but he feels like a weight has been lifted from his chest.

While Louis didn't know Liam's dad job, he does know Zayn's mother Tricia is an editor for some famous author he can't remember and that Zayn's picked up her skills. There's also no one he trusts more in the world to critique his writing because while Zayn is his best friend, he'll tell Louis when he's doing something incredibly wrong or when he's doing something wonderfully right.

Zayn's honest with him and so is Liam, for that matter. He's overheard conversations about Liam taking over his dad's company and Louis can't help but wonder if this is it. Whether it's going to be them three against the world.

He's sixteen and he doesn't know if he's ready to have that weight on his shoulders, to have the world read his words and know it's him writing them.

So a few months later, when he's sitting with Liam and Zayn in front of Liam's father desk, Louis declares he has an announcement.

All three sets of eyes in the room turn to look at him and Louis lets out a shaky breath before he says, "I don't—I don't want to be me. I don't want my name printed on these books. Can I—I want a pen name. A pseudonym. "

Louis doesn't look up after that, letting the silence linger. Liam's father breaks it with an affirmative, "Alright then. What'll it be?"

Louis looks up, eyes wide in shock and he hears Zayn snicker to his right and swats him without even looking. "I can have it?"

Geoff nods, a small smile on his lips. "Of course you can. No one's going to stop you."

"Really?" Louis asks because, this—this is fantastic.

Geoff chuckles and he hears Liam snicker this time too. "Yes Louis. So what will it be?"

Louis pauses, trying to think of something witty and failing to do so, letting out an aggravated grunt and he can feel the amusement radiating off everyone in the room.

Finally Louis decides and it's really plain, but it'll do. "Austin Williams," Louis declares and it's his real father's last name along with his own middle name, which is easy enough to remember.

Geoff raises his eyebrows enthusiastically and nods, "Alright. Done."

Louis lets out a little laugh of amazement because _holy shit_ , this is his life. He's releasing his first book in a couple of months, he's on the edge of seventeen and he's taking on the world with his two best friends by his side.

\--

Now the thing is, this means he has to move. He has to leave behind his life in Doncaster and create a new one in London where everything is foreign and he doesn't know how he's going to do it, how he's going to adjust.

The first thing he does is choose some random shitty building that looks like maybe it'll fall apart any second and rent a flat there. Zayn and Liam both tell him he should move in with them, across the street where there's a building which looks like it could actually be lived in unlike what Louis' chosen.

Louis declines and he moves into his shitty flat. The thing is that he likes it. Makes him feel like at least he's not trying to be something he isn't. He can see himself falling in love with this small flat. There's not much, just a few boxes and really that's it. The sink in the bathroom leaks a bit and the floor creaks sometimes, so he buys a rug and places it over. The kitchen is way too confusing for him to even try to figure out but it's not like he's going to eat much other than cereal and the occasional toast. He just packed his life up and moved to London, and he really hopes he's not putting everything on the line for his books to end up a flop.

He ends up getting so riled up over it that Liam cracks one day and he appears with a small kitten, shoving it into Louis' arms.

"If you're going to act like you're a seventy two year old lady with abandonment issues, you have to fill the part. So here's your cat, her name is Jamie. I'll email you the information about how to take care of her later." And then he promptly disappeared leaving Louis with a brown ball of fur and a confused expression.

Jamie ends up growing on Louis and she only hogs half the bed and she listens when Louis feels like he might have a panic attack so Louis think she's alright. Also, Louis secretly needed someone to keep him company and Jamie only judges him sometimes and she doesn't pee all over his rug either, so yeah. He keeps her.

His first book releases in March and he's seventeen and terrified.

In a month, it sells over a thousand copies and Louis feels like he's accomplished something big. Then Emma Watson makes a comment about how wonderful his book is and suddenly, it's a New York Times Seller.

When he sees the interview, he nearly passes out.

_"What's your favorite book at the moment?"_

_"Well, I found this book at this small book shop around the corner of my flat and it's called, uh, Dream That We Were Perfectly Entwined and it's by this guy, Austin Williams, yeah? It's wonderful, yeah, about this coma patient. I couldn't handle myself, ruined my make up and everything because of my tears by the end."_

_"Austin Williams, you said?"_

_"Yeah, I don't know if he's well known but his writing was amazing. I went and looked him up and that's his only book sadly but honestly, I recommend for everyone to read it. Absolutely wonderful."_

_"That's lovely Emma, I'll have to look into it sometime. Anyways, so how's the new movie-"_

Zayn shuts off the television and there's a short moment of silence before Louis' screaming and jumping on Zayn and Liam who scream right back.

\--

His whole life changes drastically, and suddenly he's a millionaire and it's ridiculous. It's absolutely crazy. He tells Jamie this much and she just purrs quietly before jumping onto his lap, curling up.

He's nearly eighteen when he releases his second book, a few weeks before his birthday. It sells out in every store in the country within the first week.

Liam's father is ecstatic, having to publish more and more books and Louis just can't even believe this is his life. He doesn’t think he’ll ever get used to it.

Zayn tells him to set up a PO box and a website so Louis does—or rather has Zayn do it, even though he's the one who suggested it. The amount of fan mail he gets is absolutely insane and these people, they all love his work. They love how he gives happy endings to people who are least likely to get them.

Then he gets mail from other countries, begging Louis to release his books there as well and when Louis tells Liam as much, Liam immediately agrees, telling his father who is beyond pleased.

In a few shorts months, Louis' whole life has changed and by his third book, people have realized Austin Williams isn't his real name and Louis grows anxious at this but Liam reassures him it doesn't mean they'll found out who he really is.

The next few years are hectic but they slowly calm down as Louis gets the hang of things, learns the ropes and he fits into the industry. By the time he's nineteen, Liam is the one that manages him when it comes to producing and Zayn is still his editor and Louis has over five best sellers, all over the world.

They say he's putting a twist to writing, that he's changing the industry. That instead of stories about vampires that sparkle and bondage, he's introducing realism.

Louis thinks it's bullshit considering all his books are based on idealism but he doesn't tell anyone except Jamie this who doesn't even react.

Happy endings aren't real--Louis literally can't stress that enough. He writes happy endings because people deserve to at least have hope for a good life, to end up happy.

His stories range from the boy who suffered depression and a girl who just wanted to be the reason for someone’s happiness, to the girl with an alcoholic dad and a best friend who saved her from herself. It's all such shit because he knows the boy who suffered depression would have killed himself without a second thought and the girl whose father is an alcoholic would drown herself in alcohol too before she let someone else save her but if people want happy endings, he'll give them happy endings.

Realism. The word makes Louis scoff because he knows everything is truly shit in the world and that's being a realist. It's not thinking there's a happy ending for everyone.

For example, Louis knows his own happy ending is doubtful. Maybe an okay ending with his family and friends and that's all Louis can ask for. He doesn't see much more than that for him and he's okay with that. Happy endings aren't for everyone.

Louis is in the library one day, wandering for a copy of his book because he thinks it'd be too weird to buy one of them. He's twenty and he's just as famous as Nicholas Sparks and it's nothing he'd ever seen coming.

He's in the best seller section because that's where the gray haired lady at the front desk had told him to go when he asked for Austin Williams. His eyes are raking over the shelves and he doesn't see the book he's looking for, _Hearts Beat Harder_ about a heart patient who stole someone else's heart. Irony has always been Louis' favorite.

"What're you looking for?" Someone asks from behind him and Louis starts at the sudden voice and turns around to see a blond haired boy, grinning widely.

"Oh, er, just a book," Louis mutters, eyes falling on where the boy has a name tag on. _Niall_.

The blond boy laughs and it's loud and lovely. Louis can easily see him be someone's happy ending but then again, Louis lives by the statement that the happiest people are the most broken. He doesn't know this boy in front of him though so he doesn't make any judgments.

"I figured mate, we're in a library," Niall declares and it's with an inviting grin that he says it, not to be cruel or mean. More a friendly teasing.

Louis rolls his eyes anyways and nods. "Yeah, I guess we are," He says slowly before flickering his gaze over his shoulder where he still can't find the book.

Niall laughs again before he takes a few steps forward to stand next to Louis who turns around to look at the shelves helplessly again. "So what are you looking for again?" Niall inquires, reaching forward to put a book in its correct place.

"Er, _Heart Beats Harder_?" Louis answers tentatively and he hopes Niall doesn't notice. It seems he doesn't because the blond boy's eyes light up.

"Oh, Austin Williams, yeah?" Niall prompts and Louis nods, his face feeling a bit warm even though the temperature in the library is comfortable.

"Great guy, great guy," Niall muses and Louis hides a smile as he ducks his head and Niall starts to poke around at the shelves, moving books aside. "Really good writer, love that one book, what's it called— _Shout It Out_? About the deaf boy? Who fell in love with the singer? Absolutely adored it," Niall's still rambling and Louis' smile widens. It's wonderful when strangers compliment him not knowing he'll hear it.

"Yeah, I know the one you're talking about," Louis affirms and of course he does, it had taken him months to write it.

Niall smiles enthusiastically before his smile falls, pouting when he can't seem to find the book. "Sorry mate, guess we're all out of stock. We just got the new shipment yesterday too. People really love this guy's books," Niall says and it sounds like he's saying it awe and Louis decides the guy is alright.

"It's alright, thanks anyways," and Louis turns to go before there's a hand on his arm, stopping him and Louis turns around with raised eyebrows.

Niall is standing there smiling. "If you come back tomorrow, I promise we'll have a copy ready for you, if you have time that is." He shrugs but his smile doesn't drop and Louis pauses before he nods, figures why not.

"Sure, thanks, I'll be here tomorrow at the same time?" Louis offers and it's not really like he's going out of his way. The library is barely two blocks from his flat and it's not like Louis couldn't use the little exercise.

"Alright mate, uh, what's your name? What do I reserve the book under?" Niall asks, reaching for a notepad and pen in his pocket and Louis smiles in amusement, wondering what the boy would think if he told him it was Austin Williams. He doesn't though.

"Louis. Louis Tomlinson," Louis tells him before turning back to leave and he can hear the boy calling a goodbye behind him so Louis waves before exiting the library.

\--

The next day when he comes back, he sees a sign that says 'Help Wanted' and doesn't think twice before talking to the manager and within a week he has a job at the library.

Niall is ecstatic, saying there hasn't been someone his age around in forever, not since Josh left to go work in the Fro-Yo shop down the corner and he says it with a frown that looks so wrong on his face that Louis laughs.

Louis doesn't need the money, not really but he figures having a steady job can't hurt if one of these days, his books flop. He sees it as good life choice. Liam and Zayn see it as wasting time but he doesn't bother correcting them.

So he organizes books, sorts DVDs, helps people out and it's not that bad. He thinks he'd like this life if he wasn't famous and it's one of the many moments he thanks the lord for not using his real name.

Niall never treats him any different and the first time he catches Louis writing during work, he merely grins and says, "We all want to end up on these shelves, don't we?" and Louis nods slowly, trying not to think of how his books get borrowed so quick they're barely on the shelves.

Niall is great and when Louis introduces him to Liam and Zayn they all get on well. Every week they'll go for drinks at the bar across town, the one that's less crowded and Louis will never drink enough to spill his secrets.

After a while, he decides Niall is trustworthy enough to tell. He was wrong about Niall, about the happiest people being the most broken because Niall isn't. He's genuinely happy and Louis decides Niall will definitely be someone's happy ending.

Louis is twenty and he writes a book for Niall because he's already written one for Zayn and one for Liam, and he figures Niall is as a good friend as any. He writes about a girl who gets bullied, who's ignored but made fun of all the same, of a girl terrified of having happiness and of the boy who carries happiness in his crooked teeth.

He calls the character Neil and in the dedications page, he writes _To the idiot who sits next to me at work every day and has yet to realize who I am. Seriously. Mate. You're not fooling anyone when you're reading my books under the table during lunch. Also, I promise I'll never leave you for Fro-Yo. - A.W._

The day after it publishes, he sees Niall reading it during their lunch break and he tries to keep his snickers to himself. He knows Niall finishes it by the end of the day because he shuts the book and breathes, "Wow."

Louis does laugh this time but he muffles it into the scarf wrapped around his neck. It's March, he's still twenty and it's chilly.

Then Niall gets this look on his face and Louis knows he's about to realize any second so Louis stays in his chair and watches Niall flip to the beginning of the book, ending up on the dedications page.

He watches Niall mouth the words to himself before he furrows his eyebrows, rereading them one more time before his jaw slacks and his eyes widen. He keeps watching as Niall tries to discreetly look at Louis out of the corner of his eye and Louis starts laughing because he can't help it.

Niall's jaw literally hits the floor and then so does Louis as Niall tackles him.

"Oh my _God_ , Louis, what the _hell_ ," Niall is saying but he's grinning in disbelief and then he's hugging Louis and the breath rushes out of Louis' lungs before it registers that he should hug Niall back.

"Took you a while," is all Louis says but he's smiling and he thinks happy endings aren't real but happy moments are and this is a very happy moment.

"You—this whole time? That first day? Holy shit, I hate you!" Niall's still laughing and he squeezes Louis one last time before pulling away and standing up, offering Louis a hand.

"I wrote you a book and you have the audacity to say you _hate_ me?" Louis asks in a scandalized tone and Niall laughs, eyes bright.

"Twat," Niall insults fondly before he pauses and adds on, "Thank you by the way. It means a lot to me," and his face is a pleasant pink as he gives Louis a grateful look.

"It was my honor mate, really," Louis replies, using Niall's hand to pull himself up and that's sort of that.

\--

He's twenty one with a nearly dozen books under his belt when he starts to get writer's block. He doesn't have deadlines, not really. Liam lets him take his time and usually Louis does write relatively quickly given that in nearly five years, he's managed near ten books.

It's October, and it's nippy outside and he's still working in the library with Niall. His last book released a month prior, _Hands Fit Like My T-Shirt_ about the stripper who thought she was too worthless to love and the bartender who fell in love with her anyways. It's his second book with a gay couple involved—albeit it had been a side couple this time around—and seeing as the first one had been a hit, he's not too worried.

Recently though, it seems he can't bring himself to write and it's getting him really frustrated. When he tells Zayn as much, the tanner boy tells him to find a muse as if it's that easy.

He flips Zayn off then goes to eat some cereal. That's pretty much how his days have been going. He thinks he should probably buy a new box of cereal on his way home.

He's sitting at the front desk with some scattered sheets of paper in front of him. There are several rolled up balls in the trashcan next to him from when Louis got too aggravated with the words he was writing and he threw them away.

Niall's wondering nearby, humming to himself as sorts the books returned today. It's nearly closing time and there's a few people lingering by, shutting off their laptops or self-checking their books out near the door.

It's lightly drizzling outside and Louis used to think the rain provided a nice, calming effect but with every _dripdropdripdrop_ he feels himself grow more and more agitated.

Louis crosses out the few paragraphs he'd written on the page with a scowl and he crumbles it into ball before aiming it towards the trash which is nearly overflowing with scrap paper.

Louis sighs and turns back to another blank piece of paper, chewing on the end of his pen and drumming his fingers against the table top. He hears someone come in through the front door and doesn't look up, although he should be telling them that they're about to close and they should leave. He doesn't mind staying a bit longer though so he lets the person come in.

He's still chewing on his pen when someone clears their throat in front of him, startling him and the pen goes flying out of his hand to the floor in front of the desk. Louis looks up but the stranger is already bent down, picking up the pen for him.

When the stranger is standing straight, Louis thinks he's probably hallucinating because this boy is the prettiest boy he's ever seen in his entire _life_.

The boy has wide, green eyes and they look like they're shining which is ridiculous, right? His hair is wet, but Louis can see it's curly from where it's still dry or is rapidly drying. His hair is brown and it looks soft, nice to tug on or run his fingers though. He has a nice, defined jawline and lovely cheekbones. His lips are pretty pink color and he thinks he sees a hint of perfect teeth behind them. The boy is tall, taller than Louis if he were to stand and he's thin, seeming to stretch on and on. Louis thinks it'd be a weird for him to stand up to see if the boy's hips are honestly endless and it occurs to him, he's been staring for a while.

He looks up at the boy's eyes who are staring at him in amusement and he realizes the boy is holding Louis' pen out for Louis to take. So Louis reaches across, taking the pen without touching the boy and mumbling, "Thanks," before fixing his glasses then proceeding to look back up. "How can I help you?"

The boy smiles and he has dimples and Louis is seriously wondering if this is a hallucination because there's no way this boy is _real_. Louis sees Niall watching them curiously from the corner of his eye and he thinks he may see a raised eyebrow but he doesn't say anything, focusing on the boy instead.

"Yeah, I was wondering if you guys had _Shot Me Out of the Sky_ by Austin Williams? I'd like to check it out," The boy requests and his voice is slow, as if he's taking his time to pronounce every syllable correctly and Louis nearly shivers before he realizes he's really being a creep.

Then it registers what the boy is asking for and Louis scrunches up his nose. He can see Niall laughing in the corner of his eye and he wants to shoot him the bird but he doesn't want to be rude in front of the boy.

The boy catches his expression and frowns a little which makes Louis feel bad because the boy has such a pretty smile and he should be smiling all the time. "Do you guys not like Austin Williams?" He asks, turning his head to look at Niall a few feet away who's quite literally laughing into one of the bookshelves.

"No! No, it's not that," Louis assures before sending a death glare to Niall who catches his eye only to laugh harder.

"Uh, alright," The boy says, furrowing his eyebrows and he looks a bit like a disgruntled kitten and Louis has to be imagining this up, he just has to be. "Well do you guys have it?"

Louis tries not to twist his expression further as he looks it up on the database. “Uh, give me a second to look,” Louis tells him, not making eye contact. As he waits for the page to load, he can feel the boy staring at him funnily and Louis feels slightly self-conscious, fixing his glasses again.

"I like your glasses," The boy remarks and Louis looks up bemused to see the curly haired boy grinning broadly at him.

"Thanks," Louis says slowly, arching an eyebrow and the boy just keeps smiling. Louis thinks it's been a while since someone's smiled at him like that.

Sure, Niall smiles around him all the time but it's not _at him_ and Liam and Zayn will smile but again, it's not _at him_. He thinks it's kind of shitty how no one smiles at him but then again, happy endings aren't really his forte so he doesn't complain.

But this boy, he's smiling at Louis and it's kind of wonderful, really.

It gets to the point that the boy hasn’t stopped smiling at him so when Louis finally looks up again, there’s a hint of a smile on his face. “See something you like?” He teases and it’s a bit forward but it’s not like Louis has anything to lose.

“Yeah,” The boy replies and he chuckles when Louis’ mouth falls open a bit.

“I—I was kidding,” Louis stutters, looking back down at the computer, clicking on one of the copies of _Shot Me Out of the Sky_ just as the boys laughs.

“Yeah, well I wasn’t,” He declares and leans forward, still grinning and Louis feels his cheeks warm.

“Okay then,” Louis responds a bit awkwardly, biting on his bottom lip before he looks up at the boy who’s staring at him expectantly. Louis looks back down quickly and he hears the boy chuckle under his breath. “There’s a copy in the best sellers section,” Louis tells him without looking at him and when he doesn’t hear the boy walk away, Louis glances back up to see the boy staring at him blankly.

Louis pauses before he asks, “Do you know where that is?”

The boy shakes his head but there’s a smirk hiding in the corner of his lips and Louis thinks this boy is like a character out of a story.

Louis sighs exaggeratedly and the boy’s smirk becomes full blown. Louis hops down from his stool, walking around the desk before he starts to walk to the back. “Are you coming?” He calls to the boy who laughs again. It’s a nice sound that Louis’ bent on not thinking about for too long.

“Of course, just admiring the view!” The boy calls back delightedly and Louis is about to ask what view before he blushes and walks faster, making the boy laugh again.

He reaches the section in a minute, too used to navigating the library and he takes a moment to hope the boy doesn’t get lost before he’s searching under the _W_ for his own book. There was only one in stock which is a bit of shock since usually there are none.

When he finds it, he pulls it out and stares at the cover where there is a pair of white wings. This was the first book he wrote that went beyond realistic fiction.

About the boy who was abused by his father and his actual guardian angel. Louis lets his fingers run lightly over the cover, tracing the wings slowly.

“Have you read it?” Someone asks and Louis turns to see the boy’s standing next to him, not close enough that he’s invading Louis’ personal space but close enough Louis feels his cheeks flush.

Louis looks down at the book again before he shakes his head slowly because he hasn’t, not really. Not after it was published. “No,” He clarifies, handing the book over to the boy who takes it carefully.

“It’s good,” The boy tells him, motioning towards the book in his hand and Louis raises his eyebrows.

“You read it?” He asks, crossing his arms over his chest in a defensive manner even while the boy had obviously just complimented his writing.

The boy raises an eyebrow but nods slowly, taking his time like he does with the words that curl around his tongue. “Yeah. Austin Williams is one of my favorite authors,” The boy informs before licking his lips and Louis tries his best not to focus on the motion.

Instead Louis makes an unimpressed sound and slides past the boy to go back to his desk and he can feel green eyes burning into his back but he doesn’t turn around, only stopping when he sees someone wandering to tell them the library will be closing in ten minutes.

When he gets back to his desk, Niall is standing there organizing a few papers and when he sees Louis, he waggles his eyebrows ridiculously making Louis scoff.

“Don’t you love when people ask for Austin Williams books?” Niall queries, feigning a dreamy expression and Louis swats him on the arm, shoving him lightly to get to his stool.

“I know where you live,” Louis threatens darkly instead which makes Niall laugh. Louis scowls and watches as Niall goes to throw out the papers in his hands before he stops at the overflowing trash can and looks back at Louis.

“Do I want to know?” Niall asks and Louis sighs, shaking his head.

“Zayn says I need a muse,” Louis mutters, picking up his pen again. He starts chewing on the end and he realizes it’s becoming a bad habit but he can’t bring himself to care.

“A muse?” Niall repeats, leaning against the desk and staring at Louis curiously.

“Someone or something to inspire me, I suppose. I don’t agree. I’m fine, thank you very much,” Louis huffs exasperatedly and Niall makes a knowing sound which has Louis narrowing his eyes.

“What?” Louis snaps and Niall holds his hands up in defense and Louis feels a bit bad for taking his irritation out on Niall.

“You’re getting pretty defensive, is all. You sure you don’t need a muse?” Niall interrogates and there’s that thing Louis said about being genuine—Niall is being completely genuine. He just wants to help Louis and all Louis wants to do is scream because he doesn’t want anyone’s help. He doesn’t want to rely on a muse.

“No Niall, I’m fine. It’s just writer’s block. I don’t need a muse,” Louis tells him, emphasizing each single word which makes Niall give him a knowing look but neither boy can say more on the topic because the boy from before appears in front of the desk, still holding _Shot Me Out of the Sky_.

“Hi, I’d like to check this out,” The boy announces and his voice is still as slow as before, still as rough and still as deep. Louis kind of wants to hold his fingers against the boy’s diaphragm as he talks, to feel the vibrations. He wonders if the kid can sing.

“There’s a self-checkout right there,” Louis informs, pointing near the door where there’s only one other person, checking out her books.

“Why can’t you check me out?” The boy inquires with a smirk instead and Louis blinks at him twice catching the double meaning before he merely grabs the book out of the boys hand and picks up the scanner, scanning the ID on the inside cover of the book before holding his hand out.

“Library card?” Louis demands and the boy digs through his jean pockets. From this angle, Louis can his jeans are tighter than actual _tights_ so he has no idea how the boy fits anything in his pockets.

When he pulls out his wallet, he sifts through for a second before proudly pulling out his library card and Louis wants to laugh at how excited he looks to be checking out this book.

“Big fan?” He hears Niall ask from the side and he hopes nobody notices how his grasp on the book tightens. Louis fixes his glasses before taking the card from the boy’s hand and scanning out.

“Huge. Bought his first book the first month it came out,” the boy informs and Niall whistles lowly, nodding.

“Props to you,” Niall mutters because Liam told him the Emma Watson story during one of their bar nights and he knows how only a thousand copies had been sold.

Louis doesn’t say anything, moving the book into the boy’s account and he catches sight of the boy’s name on top. _Harry Styles_.  He slides the boy’s library card across the desk so the boy can easily take it.

Louis goes to the bag the book but then there’s a hand on his wrist stopping him. He looks up and while his immediate reaction would have been to tug his hand away he stays still and fixes the boy with a questioning look.

“It’s fine,” The boy says and he smiles brightly, taking the book from Louis’ hand and then there’s a slip of paper in Louis’ hand instead but the boy doesn’t comment on it, eyes still twinkling as he turns to go.

Louis doesn’t say anything either, just watches as the boy disappears through the doors and into the rain. He realizes he’s crumpling the paper in his fist and he loosens his grip.

He looks down at his hand and he’s aware Niall is reading over his shoulder but all he can focus on is neat penmanship on the scrap of paper.

_Harry .xx_

Followed by the boy’s name is several digits and then a winky face which has Louis staring at the paper in disbelief and he hears Niall laugh in his ear.

“What?” Louis asks, slowly turning to look at Niall because he’s not sure he wants to know the answer.

“Looks like you’ve found your muse.”

—

“—and then he put the paper in Louis’ hand and just left!” Niall’s exclaiming with a large grin and Louis groans, dropping his head against the bar table.

“What did the paper say?” Zayn asks and he sounds equally excited as Niall which makes Louis groan again, muffled by the table.

“It said his name then his number and a _winky face!_ ” Niall all but shouts in excitement and when Louis peaks up through his arms both Liam and Zayn have matching expressions of glee on their face.

“I need new friends,” Louis grumbles to himself, but loud enough for all three of them to hear although they ignore it.

“And this all happened two hours ago?” Liam asks and Louis can literally hear the shit-eating grin on his face and if murder wasn’t illegal they’d all be dead.

He hears shifting and then Niall says, “Two hours and seventeen minutes,” as a confirmation. Louis actually leans over the stool next to him to swat Niall’s arm.

“Ow! Hey, you’re going to thank me for having the exact time one day, you just watch,” Niall says assuredly and Louis rolls his eyes.

“You’re a horrible person,” Louis informs, grabbing a tissue from the dispenser and his pen from his pocket.

“I know, it keeps me awake at night,” Niall agrees but he doesn’t sound regretful at all which makes Louis narrow his eyes as he starts to make a bullet point list on the napkin.

“What else?” Zayn urges from Niall’s other side and Niall hums for a second before he makes an, “Oh!” sound and turns to them.

Louis doesn’t look over but he’s still listening as he starts to write in the list.

_why my friends are jerks_

  * ~~~~_~~they bought me jamie bc apparently i’m a 72 yr old~~_
  * _they never make me food_
  * _they make fun of my love life which doesn't even exist_
  * _they are horrible horrible ppl_
  * _bc cute boys exist and give me their #’s_
  * _they are shitheads_
  * _they’re jerks_



Once he’s satisfied with the list he looks up to realize they’ve disappeared to different places and have left Louis alone. With an irritated grunt he adds one more things to the list.

  * _the assholes disappear all the time_



Now he feels truly satisfied and he sticks it in his pocket for future reference when he remembers the piece of paper which feels like it’s burning in his back pocket and the name that’s curled on his tongue.

He grabs another napkin and scribbles hurriedly _the boy who’s looking for a happy ending and the boy who was just that_ before sticking it into his pocket and taking another sip of drink, the moment gone so quick it was like it wasn’t even there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos are always appreciated. :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis realizes he's well and truly screwed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For Sara as always because she's my soulmate and I love her very, very much. Also, this may switch to four parts. It all depends. We'll see how it goes. Also, I tend to post these chapters at 5am right before I sleep so. If there are any errors... I don't have a beta, don't judge me. I'll try my best to fix it as I go along.

Louis’ putting away a bunch of astronomy books the next day at noon and he has to get on his tiptoes because he refuses to stoop low enough to get a stool. He only has two more left and he jumps with one in his hand, just barely getting it and he smiles in satisfaction.

He hears someone laugh behind him and he jumps, dropping the book in his hand before reaching down to pick it up, raising his other hand over his chest.

“Jesus, I thought we talked about you sneaking up on me, Niall,” Louis scolds before standing up and getting on his tiptoes again, ready to throw the last book when someone grabs it from him and places it in the right spot.

“Not Niall,” The person says and Louis stops breathing momentarily before slowly turning around to see Harry smiling at him and he’s wearing a fucking _fedora_. Louis must be dreaming.

“Oh,” Louis murmurs and that’s all he can really say because what the hell is this guy doing back in a day and why is he still so _pretty_?

“You’re really small, did you know?” Harry seems self-satisfied as he leans against a shelf of books, smiling at Louis who releases an indignant noise.

“Excuse me?” Louis asks, narrowing his eyes before he bends to pick up the cart of books at his feet. He still has to put away the poetry books so he starts to head in that direction, not even waiting for a reply.

He hears Harry’s footsteps behind him and just barely keeps from rolling his eyes as he sets the cart down. The poetry books don’t go up as high as the astronomy books so at least he won’t be made fun of for being too short.

“You look tired,” Harry comments, looking over Louis once and Louis feels a bit too hot in his jumper with the sleeves slipping over his wrists.

“Yeah, well, Jamie kept me up all night,” Louis mutters, putting away several books at once and he doesn’t mean for it slip out but it does anyways and well, Louis needs to learn to control his mouth.

“Jamie?” Harry prods and when Louis glances over his shoulder, Harry looks genuinely interested.

“My cat,” Louis answers and then mutters, “Shit,” quietly to himself because he wasn’t supposed to reply.

“What’s wrong with him?” Harry asks and Louis thinks he must’ve heard Louis talking to himself because he swears there’s a hint of a smirk in but when Louis turns around, Harry’s fiddling with a loose string at the bottom of his t-shirt.

“Her,” Louis amends then scrunches up his nose because he just replied to Harry for the third time in a row even after acknowledging he needs to stop talking.

“What’s wrong with _her_?” Harry corrects himself and Louis thinks he should probably stop glancing back as well because Harry’s licking his lips now and Louis feels _really_ warm.

“Just a bit sick, ‘s all,” Louis replies slowly, before turning and bending to put one of the books on the lower shelves before looking back up at Harry who’s frowning as if he honestly cares about Louis’ _cat_ of all things. 

“I hope she feels better,” Harry tells him and Louis raises his eyebrows but manages to keep his mouth shut, standing back up to put away more books.

He hears a bit of shuffling around and he turns back to see Harry flipping through a book about—Louis squints in disbelief—different types of monkeys.

 _Monkeys_.

Louis stops what he’s doing—he glances up to make sure Harry’s not looking—and digs out a post-it from his pocket, scribbling down _reads books about weird animals_ before shoving it back in his pocket. He pauses a moment before taking it back out and writing _and books about happy endings_ before folding it up neatly and putting it back firmly.

He hears Harry snort behind him and Louis turns defensively but Harry’s still looking at the book with a look of amusement on his face.

“Did you know some monkeys don’t have tails?” Harry asks, as if he can feel Louis’ eyes on his face and Louis feels a tug at his lips. “How weird is that? It can’t be a monkey without a tail, right?”

Louis bites the inside of his cheek; trying to stop whatever the hell it is his lips are trying to do. “Well apparently it can,” He says back and Harry looks up a bit surprised before he grins at Louis and Louis shifts uncomfortably because of how he feels at the weird twisting in his gut.

He turns back around, putting away the last of the books and picking up the empty cart. He starts to head to the front when he hears footsteps behind him and he turns his head just enough to see Harry still staring at the book as he follows Louis around.

Louis stops and Harry bumps into him before looking up in confusion. Louis doesn’t want to admit it but it’s sort of adorable.

“Why’d you stop?” Harry asks with his lips turning down and Louis resists the urge to poke his cheek until he smiles again.

“Why are you following me?” Louis shoots back, one eyebrow raised and Harry closes the book about monkeys— _Louis’ still confused_ —to look up at Louis with a mirrored expression.

“I asked you first,” Harry says petulantly and Louis scowls back.

“I asked you second,” Louis argues, eyes narrowing and Harry pouts.

“But I asked you _first_ ,” Harry reiterates.

“Your question is _invalid_ ,” Louis tells him, sticking out his bottom lip and he’s just a bit on the stubborn side.

“You’re the one that stopped in the middle of the _aisle_ ,” Harry reminds him and his disgruntled kitten look is fading. Instead Harry starts to grin brightly at Louis and the feeling in Louis’ gut is back.

“Well you’re the one _following me_ ,” Louis protests, and it’s really rare that he gets to actually banter back and forth with someone like this, over something stupid and trivial but it’s sort of amusing all the same.

”Well I’d follow you to the end of the world, darling,” Harry announces before he winks exaggeratedly and Louis gives him a dry look.

“You did _not_ just quote _We’re So Paris When We Kiss_ ,” Louis says in disbelieving tone and he actually wants to hit his head against the wall a few times because Harry has actually _read_ his books to the point he has lines memorized.

Harry lights up further at that and it’s quite possible he’s glowing if Louis’ being honest. “You recognized it!” Harry exclaims and if his voice wasn’t as deep it was, Louis would say he squealed it.

“Yeah, mate, I work in a library,” and Louis thinks that counts as a reasonable excuse as he turns around, heading to the front again.

He hears Harry make a disappointed noise behind him and Louis rolls his eyes, setting the cart on a table and vaguely aware of Harry still behind him, he walks around the table to sit down on one of the chairs. He doesn’t expect Harry to sit down next to him but the boy’s just full of surprises, isn’t he?

Niall walks by just then, giving Louis a knowing look and dropping a notepad on to the table before continuing to the children’s section to sort out some books.

Louis gives the notepad a hard look and he looks over at Harry next to him. He’s back to reading the book about monkeys, his lips mouthing some of the words as he goes and there’s a small v-shaped dent between his eyebrows.

Louis fixes his glasses before taking the pen out of his pocket and he starts chewing on the end before he even realizes.

He stares harder at the paper, as if it’ll make words appear but it doesn’t and Louis sighs. From the corner of his eye, he can see Harry give him a look. Louis doesn’t say anything about it and neither does Harry.

Finally he puts his pen on the paper and scrunches his nose once before he lets himself write.

_It starts with a boy and a library. No, it starts with a boy and the fairytales his mother told him. It starts in a world where happiness was just a myth._

Louis somehow loses track of time and then it’s nearly closing time before he knows it and he has thousands and thousands of words written. He looks to the side and Harry’s still there but he’s passed out on the stupid book about monkeys and Louis’ sort of done with life.

Harry is really pretty; it’s not hard to see that. His eyelashes are fanning his cheeks and his hair is falling around his head like a halo. His lips are parted and Louis can hear him breathing slowly, see the rise and fall of his chest. Louis sort of doesn’t want to wake him up because he looks so peaceful but then again, what the hell is even _happening_ right now.

Louis realizes he’s staring and looks away, blushing even though Harry’s not even awake to know Louis was staring. He looks back down at his notepad and his eyes just barely skim over the words _then a boy walks in and changes everything—and Nathaniel doesn’t know how to feel about it, whether he’s okay with his whole world being uprooted because of a boy with curls the color of chocolate and eyes brighter than all the stars in the sky._

Louis is so fucked.

He doesn’t hear Niall come up behind him which is why he has a near heart attack when he hears someone laughing behind him. He turns around with a wild look in eye which sends Niall into another round of laughter.

Louis narrows his eyes, leering at the blond boy. “ _We_ definitely talked about you sneaking up on me.”

Niall shrugs, looking over Louis’ shoulder with a large grin. “What was that about not needing a muse?” He asks and Louis scowls.

“Leave me alone,” Louis mutters and Niall does just that, albeit with a smirk. Louis frowns and turns back to his notepad, flipping it to the first page before dropping it with a smack.

He realizes he probably shouldn’t have dropped it as hard as he did when a second later, Harry shoots up with a disoriented look, looking around alarmed and Louis is instantly filled with regret.

“Wha-?” Harry asks to himself and his voice is drowsy with sleep and his eyes are blinking blearily and Louis has the mind to wrap him up and put him in his pocket and never let him leave.

“You fell asleep,” Louis tells him and it’s amazing his voice works, really.

Harry starts at that, seemingly not having noticed Louis sitting next to him. “Oh. _Oh._ ” Then he smiles at Louis, dimples and all. “You’re pretty.”

Louis blinks at him blankly and somehow it’s funny because Harry’s laughing. Louis continues to stare blankly as Harry stands up, still grinning and he grabs the book about monkeys before leaving, heading over to the self check-out.

He’s gone before Louis even realizes and Niall drops into the seat previously occupied seat with a grin the size of the continental U.S. “So?”

“He said I’m pretty,” Louis says dazedly before wincing because he’s egging Niall on with this whole muse conspiracy bullshit (although it’s less bullshit than Louis would like to admit).

“Did he now?” Niall teases and Louis just glares before standing up himself, leaving Niall at the table with his stupid grin and stupid conspiracies.

—

Somehow this becomes a thing. When Louis is showing a five year old who comes regularly where to find her favorite book even though she already knows, he finds Harry sitting on the floor with his earphones in, reading some book that’s definitely not age appropriate.

Louis opens his mouth then closes it, giving Harry a speculative look. The five year old next to him—Sara, he reminds himself—tugs insistently on his hand. He looks down at her to see that she’s giving him the evil eye and he gives her an apologetic look.

Harry’s blocking the whole aisle and there’s no way to get around him that that wouldn’t require speaking to him which Louis doesn’t think he should be doing. He continues to stare at Harry’s back as if it’ll make him move before Sara makes an aggravated sound.

“ _Louis_ ,” Sara whines and Louis winces, looking to see if Harry heard but either he didn’t or he’s just being a twat to get under Louis’ skin and is pretending he didn’t hear.

“ _Sara_ ,” Louis says right back in the same tone, albeit in a lower voice than the irritated five year old.

“Tell the curly guy to _move_ ,” She demands, stomping her foot and Louis really hopes she’s above throwing a fit in the middle of the library because he doesn’t need angry mothers on his back.

“I can’t Sara, that wouldn’t be very nice of me,” Louis argues and it’s a bit petty, engaging himself into an argument with a five year old for the sake of not speaking to Harry.

“Butthole,” Sara mutters under her breath and Louis makes an affronted noise, giving the girl a look of disbelief but she only glares back before letting go of his hand to stomp over to Harry.

She pats him on the shoulder, giving Louis an exasperated look when Harry looks up, pulling an earphone out. Harry smiles at the girl and Louis cringes, figuring the whole world is plotting against him.

“Yes, love?” Harry asks and Louis glares from where’s he’s standing because Sara looks like she’s all but forgotten about her stupid book in the first place.

“You have a nice face,” She tells him and Harry seems to preen at that, putting his book down. Louis feels gives the back of Harry’s head an unimpressive look because he was reading _Cinderella_ of all things.

He should have known that Harry was a sucker for fairytales.

“Why thank you, so do you,” Harry compliments Sara and Sara grins at him, tiny teeth showing and Louis resists the urge to coo at them because that’s ridiculous.

“Can I ask you for a favor?” Sara asks sweetly and Louis comes to the realization five year olds are more manipulative than he’d ever thought.

“Of course,” Harry replies and he seems to finally realize Louis’ standing a few feet away because his eyes flicker to Louis, widening before he smirks.

“Do you mind maybe moving?” Sara asks, putting on her best puppy dog face and Louis thinks he might hire her for when Liam and Zayn start nagging him.

“Of course, was I blocking your way, love?” And Harry has the nerve to sound like he’s genuinely shocked and worried. Louis thinks he’s going to end up kicking Harry in the guts.

“Yes,” Sara says then doesn’t even bother waiting for Harry to answer as she steps over him, looking back as if she’s waiting for Louis to do the same. “Well?” Sara looks on blankly, motioning for Louis to come.

Harry looks up then with a mock-shocked face. “Is that—is that Louis?” Harry asks before gasping, holding a hand over his mouth—and Louis struggles to not stare too blatantly.

Sara raises an eyebrow and Louis’ not sure where a five year old learned to portray her emotions so well but it’s obvious she’s reading into things and it’s one thing to have Niall think Harry likes him but to have a five year old think it as well is a new low.

“Yeah, why? D’you like him?” Sara challenges and Louis thinks he might actually just give up on his entire life because of course small children are blunt but she got _straight_ to the point and Harry is staring amusedly at her.

“I don’t know. He’s got a nice face, doesn’t he?” Harry muses and he makes a point of looking appreciatively over at Louis. Louis grits his teeth and doesn’t say anything.

Sara seems to be on the same page as him because she just makes an unimpressed noise before reaching over Harry’s head to grab Louis’ hand and pull him over Harry.

Louis gives her a stern look but she tugs anyways, making Louis trip over Harry’s leg and fall on to the floor—but mostly Harry’s lap.

Louis immediately scrambles off and gives Sara another look of disbelief. “ _Sara_ ,” Louis scolds, standing up and brushing himself off. He doesn’t look at Harry because he can literally feel the smirk on the boy’s face.

“Book. Now,” is all Sara says before she turns on her heel and starts heading to where her favorite book is and Louis is entirely too embarrassed to not follow her.

—

The thing is Louis has never been in a steady, long term relationship. He’s never had the time or space with his career. The past few years have been fairly busy and Louis hasn’t really been looking, if he’s being honest with himself.

There have been a few one night stands when he’s gotten really desperate but aside from that, there’s nothing, not really. Louis doesn’t believe in love if he’s still being honest.

He watched his mother go through two destroyed marriages and it set him off from the whole idea in general. Louis doesn’t think he plans on ever getting married. Especially at the rate he’s going.

It’s not that he hasn’t seen love because he has but he doesn’t believe it’s something everyone gets. Some people get their happy endings and others don’t.

It’s ironic because most of his books revolve around love and Louis knows next to nothing about the actual thing. It has occurred to him more than once that he writes about things he’ll know he’ll never experience but Louis thinks that’s the point.

He can’t have it but it doesn’t mean other people can’t—they can have it in Louis’ words and they can live vicariously through his characters.

Louis doesn’t believe in happy endings or love and that’s why Harry Styles is a bit of a mystery to him. Harry Styles who is a character himself.

The boy is definitely pretty as a picture and he’s got a smile that no doubt wins over hearts. From what Louis has seen, he’s a decent person as well.

Which is why Louis is confused why Harry seems to be interested in him. For the weirdest reason, Harry’s taken a weird liking to him and Louis doesn’t know how to feel about it.

Harry seems to radiate this brightness where ever he goes and Louis knows he could never match it, no matter how hard it is that he tries. He doesn’t try though, is the thing.

Louis just watches Harry with a blank look but he can feel a smile pulling at his lips when he turns away and it’s so strange because Louis doesn’t smile a lot.

It feels foreign and Louis tries to hold it in but Harry is so ridiculous that Louis can’t even help himself. Harry smiles and it’s at him and Louis thinks that’s what makes Louis want to smile the most.

He’s got this special smile too, Louis likes to think. Where Harry’s eyes are warm and his dimples sink into his cheeks. Just the barest hint of teeth is there and Louis has started to refer to it as Harry’s Louis smile which shows Louis has honestly lost his mind.

Louis knows his life isn’t what everyone would expect. He knows that he tries too hard to be normal and that it’s because he hopes one day someone will come and turn his whole story around so he won’t have to write anymore. So that the pages write themselves.

He’s Louis and he has way too much money, a shitty flat, a cat named Jamie and a job at the library. He’s one of the world’s most known writers and he writes about happy endings when really, maybe all he wants is his own happy ending.

—

It’s a Tuesday night and it’s three in the morning and Louis feels really bad for Jamie. He’s really messed up the cat’s sleeping schedule and he feels kind of bad for it. But not really.

Louis knows if he didn’t have someone to keep him company when he gets the urge to write in the middle of the night, he’d probably snap under the pressure of being alone. It’s one of those nights when he thinks he should thank Liam again.

So he does. Louis grabs his phone, tapping out a text of gratitude and hitting send. Then Louis scratches Jamie behind the ears and she purrs contentedly. 

He glances at his laptop where he’s been typing for hours straight about the love of story of Nathaniel and Isaac. He frowns, looking back down at Jamie.

“D’you think it’s weird that I’m writing a story about him?” He asks Jamie who keeps staring at him so he assumes she wants him to expand.

“He’s really lovely Jamie. He’s got curls and everything. He’s pretty too. I think he could be someone’s happy ending.” Louis continues to scratch lightly behind her ears. He doesn’t know if it’s making her more or less attentive but he can’t be bothered to stop.

“He seems like the type. I bet he’d make someone really happy. I bet he already does. Do you think he already does, Jamie?”

She nuzzles against his stomach and Louis smiles forlornly, petting her side. “Yeah, he probably does. But it’s okay. He can make Nathaniel happy in this story.”

And he thinks Jamie understands him better than a lot of people because she nuzzles him further before looking up with what could be a sad expression.

“Yeah, Jamie, it’s alright. I don’t believe in happy endings anyways. You can be my happy ending. You’re all I need. My little kitty, Jamie.” He kisses the top of her head, careful not to get any cat hair in his mouth and she mewls despairingly.

Louis sighs and he writes until five in the morning when he finally gets up, putting Jamie in his own bed instead of her’s and going to his kitchen to make himself some coffee.

He has work in a few hours and he doubts he’ll get any sleep anyways. He can sleep after work and cuddle with Jamie for being his favorite person even though she’s not a person.

Louis is seriously turning into a seventy two year old cat lady with abandonment issues. It’s quite depressing if he thinks about it.

Hours later, he’s slumping over the front desk, eyes open too wide from all the caffeine running their course through his veins. He doesn’t even _like_ coffee. He’s always been more of a tea man.

Yet there’s a coffee sitting on his desk right now and he tries not to scowl as he takes another sip. Niall walks past a few times but knows better than to bother Louis.

Louis doesn’t particularly care for mornings like this but he doesn’t hate them either because they mean that Louis’ been doing his job, that he’s been putting effort into his writing.

Louis starts to doodle on a piece of paper, little squiggles that have no meaning when someone pulls up a chair beside him. He actually doesn’t even know who it could be and there’s a part of him that’s hoping that maybe it’s curly haired boy who visits daily.

It’s not. It’s just Zayn.

Louis doesn’t acknowledge the dark haired boy’s presence until Zayn clears his throat. Louis turns his head slowly to look at Zayn who’s looking at him with raised eyebrows.

“What,” Louis asks and while it’s a question, he says it so flatly it could surpass as a statement.

“You’ve been writing,” Zayn says instead, propping one elbow up on the desk and Louis wonders why the library hasn’t fired him or Niall yet because the whole lot of them are so unprofessional.

He thinks it’s probably because the manager is a bit too fond of them and she has an inkling that Louis is Austin Williams. He blames Niall for mocking him every time one of his books release.

Plus they do an okay job of basically running the place. When Louis first started there were tons of workers but as time went on it dwindled down to him and Niall. Louis thinks he likes it better this way. There are others of course but they’re pretty much invisible, just slinking around in the background. Louis doesn’t even see them around anymore and if it wasn’t for the sign in sheet, he’d think it really was just him and Niall.

“You make it sound so magical,” Louis replies dryly before taking another sip of coffee and trying to ignore the bitter taste it leaves in his mouth.

“You had writer’s block last week if I recall,” Zayn tells him in the same tone and Louis thinks that’s probably one of the reason Zayn and him are best friends. He can dish back whatever shit Louis gives him on whatever day it is.

Liam and him are whole different story because Liam doesn’t take what Louis’ shit either but it’s because Louis can’t give him shit—not when he just genuinely cares and will take care of Louis like an older brother, all while being younger than Louis.

“Your point?” Louis snaps and he doesn’t know why they stick around. Louis is a bit shit if he says so himself.  He doesn’t even have an excuse—no traumatic experiences, no horrible deaths, no nothings. He’s just _like_ this.

He tells Jamie as much sometimes and he thinks if cats could roll eyes, she would be doing just that.

Louis doesn’t do it on purpose. He just gets irritated quickly and people don’t know when to leave him alone. It’s not an excuse, but it is what it is.

Zayn smiles fondly at him and Louis just gives him a cold look. It says a lot about Louis that his friends are used to his asshole behavior.

“My point is, you didn’t even have a _plot_ last week, Louis,” Zayn points out with a smug expression.

“Yeah. Well. It’s been a whole week,” Louis defends, pulling on a stray thread on his jumper sleeve.

“Please, enlighten me, what happened this past week that provided you with a plot and several thousand words of work Louis.” The smug smile on Zayn’s face is one that just won’t go away and Louis glares at him.

“Things,” Louis says, turning away to take another sip of his coffee because he doesn’t know what Zayn might read on his face.

“Things? What things?” And well if Zayn doesn’t sound fucking delighted.

“Things.”

“Things like the thing walking through the door?”

“What thing walking through the-“ Louis cuts off when he turns to look at the door and he sees a curly head ducking in and he hates timing, he really does. It never works out in his favor. It’s _seriously_ like everything in the world is against him.

Zayn’s eyebrows shoot into his hairline and somehow his grin turns even smugger. “So it is that thing.”

“So help me God, I will slit your throat,” Louis threatens with a dark look and Zayn mimics zipping his lips shut just as Harry walks up.

“Hi,” Harry says brightly and his gaze shifts to Zayn. Louis thinks Harry’s face drops a little.

“Hi yourself,” Louis replies before taking another sip of his coffee. “Looking for anything in particular?”

Harry gives him this pointed look as if Louis is supposed to understand it but Louis doesn’t so he just waits for a straight answer and he can feel Zayn’s smirk on them.

Harry waits a moment before shaking his head slowly. “Not really, think I’ll just head to the back,” He murmurs quietly before casting his eyes down and walking away from the front desk.

Louis stares after him in confusion before looking over at Zayn who looks like he’s holding in a laugh. “What?” Louis asks defensively.

“You’re blind. _Honestly_ ,” Zayn mutters with a fond grin before he gets up and goes towards the bookshelves. It’s not until minutes later that Louis realizes he was headed toward the general direction of where Harry had gone.

“Fuck,” Louis curses under his breath and it’s time like this he wishes more people worked in the library because he can’t just abandon the front desk. Niall’s in computer room, sorting things out there and he has no idea where everyone else is.

Louis isn’t particularly big on religion but he sends a little prayer that Zayn doesn’t embarrass him or scare Harry off. He hopes someone is listening.

It’s only half an hour later that he spots Janet—one of the girls who spends most of her time in the children’s section—wandering by and he calls her over.

He leaves her behind the front desk with a confused expression and he rushes off to where Harry usually ends up. He’s nearly out of breath when he finally ends up in a ten meter radius of them.

Louis hears them before he sees them. When he does see them, he can see Zayn holding up a copy of _Play All The Same Old Games_ and Harry speaking animatedly about it next to him.

Louis counts backwards from ten in his head before digging his phone out of his jeans, opening up a quick text to Perrie, Zayn’s girlfriend.

 _Pez, either I tell your boyfriend you’re looking for him or I kill him. Choose quickly and wisely_.

She does in fact reply rather quickly and Louis decides he likes her better than he ever liked Zayn.

_First please. Also, is he meddling in your love life or something because he mentioned something about a boy named Harry-_

Louis doesn’t read the rest of the text, instead glaring at Zayn from where he’s situated behind a bookshelf before replying to Perrie again.

_You have chosen wisely._

He puts his phone back before walking up to the table both Zayn and Harry are sitting at. Zayn looks up before Harry notices and he gives him another smug smile. Louis is considering going back on the first option and killing Zayn.

“Your girlfriend is asking for you,” Louis says through gritted teeth and Harry looks up then, eyes wide as they flicker between Zayn and Louis.

“Oh, is she?” Zayn asks delightedly, placing the book down and Louis regrets ever writing it for him. Worst decision of his life. After becoming friends with Zayn that is.

“Yes,” Louis replies giving Zayn a forced smile and he does his best to not look over at Harry who has raised eyebrows at this point.

“Oh, alright then. I suppose I’ll head over then. I was just telling Harry here about this book. Have you read it Louis? Let me read the blurb for you— _the boy that wore leather jackets and smoked as many cigarettes as the comics he read and the crazy pink haired girl who fell in love with every bit of him_.”

“Yes actually, I have. Now if you would hurry, Perrie is waiting for you.” It takes every Louis has to not tackle Zayn to the floor but his fingers are twitching at his sides anyways.

“Of course,” Zayn says and he hops up, grabbing his jacket off the back of the chair. A pack of cigarettes falls out along with his wallet which opens up to a picture of Zayn and Perrie—and with Louis’ luck, _of course_ it’s while she was in her pink hair phase.

Louis nearly considers suicide, he really does. He can only pray Harry is too slow to understand what just happened. Louis glares as Zayn takes his time to pick up what he dropped and when he passes by Louis, he can hear Zayn mutter, “I approve,” under his breath.

Louis doesn’t say anything back and Zayn disappears behind the bookshelves. When Louis turns back to Harry, the curly haired boy is watching him with interest.

“Your friends are all really big on Austin Williams, aren’t they?” Harry asks after a while and Louis tries not to swallow his tongue when he answers.

“Isn’t everyone?” Louis asks instead and he feels too cocky for his own taste when he says that so he can’t help that he frowns, nose scrunching up.

Harry makes a noncommittal noise in the back of his throat, eyes still trained on Louis. “You don’t seem like you are,” Harry replies, fingers drumming along the cover of the book Zayn left behind.

Louis shrugs, biting his bottom lip. “He’s just like everyone else, isn’t he? Nothing special about him.”

Harry doesn’t reply for a while before he kicks the chair in front of him lightly. “Sit with me,” Harry says and he gives Louis what seems to be a nervous smile.

Louis doesn’t know why he agrees but he does, saying, “Okay,” as he sits down in the chair across from Harry and crosses his ankles together.

“I don’t know anything about you,” Harry says, tilting his head and leaning forward. Louis nearly takes a step back before realizing he’s sitting in a chair.

“Yeah, well.” Louis doesn’t say anything else, instead taking his pen from his pocket and starting to doodle on the table.

“Isn’t that destruction of public property?” Harry teases and Louis snorts.

“What, are you a police officer now? Handcuff me, Officer Styles,” Louis says sarcastically, still doodling aimlessly onto the wood.

“I wouldn’t be opposed to that,” Harry replies and Louis’ head snaps up with a look of disbelief. Harry just smiles charmingly.

“Kinky,” Louis mutters under his breath and Harry laughs, eyes shining.

“So now you know something about me. Tell me something about you,” Harry urges and Louis raises an eyebrow but the boy keeps grinning.

“Does it have to be one of my kinks?” Louis asks, tilting his own head to the side and holding the pen to his mouth to chew on it. He doesn’t miss the way Harry’s eyes linger on Louis’ lips longer than necessary.

“Not necessarily,” Harry drawls, his voice going ever slower than usual.

Louis pauses for a second, thinking before moving the pen away from his mouth. “I don’t have a gag reflex,” Louis says finally, straightening in his seat.

“Oh. _Oh_.” If Harry shifts in his seat neither of them say anything about it. “I have one sister.”

“I have four.”

If Harry’s shocked by this, it doesn’t give away in his expression. “Are you good with kids then?”

Louis shrugs, bringing the pen back to his mouth to chew on it. “I suppose. I wanted to be a drama teacher for a while.”

“What do you want to be now?” Harry asks and Louis shakes his head.

“It’s your turn,” Louis reminds him and Harry leans back in his seat.

“I want to be a singer but that’s not going to happen. I’m studying as a biology major in Uni though,” Harry tells him, propping his feet up on the table and Louis has half the mind to push them off but he ends up not doing it.

“Why couldn’t you be a singer?” Louis asks, intrigued but Harry smiles delightedly.

“It’s your turn,” Harry mocks him and Louis feels a smile tug at his lips as he rolls his eyes.

“I—I don’t know what I want to be,” He says and realizes, he doesn’t. He would say that he wants to be a writer but you can’t want to be something that you already are.

Harry raises an eyebrow, crossing his arms. “You were writing the other day,” Harry reminds him.

Louis falters, staring at Harry cautiously. "Yeah, so?"

"So, is that what you want to do? Become a writer?" Harry asks, and he moves his feet from the table, instead tugging his chair forward so he's closer to Louis.

Louis doesn't answer immediately, thinking it through before finally saying, "You don't become a writer. You either are one or you're not."

Harry considers this before tilting his head to the side. "Alright," Harry agrees, "Are you a writer then?"

Louis nods, doesn't comment any further.

Harry continues to stare at Louis and it's like he's watching for something—for a sign or something.

"I think you're looking at him all wrong," Harry tells him when Louis doesn't say anything, putting his elbows on the table and giving Louis a speculative look.

"Who?" Louis asks and he's honestly lost as he gives Harry a blank look because he swears there were just talking about him.

"Austin Williams," Harry answers, "You're looking at him all wrong."

Louis raises an eyebrow, cupping a hand around his throat and leaning slightly forward in his seat. "How am I supposed to be looking at him?"

Harry seems to pause, taking a moment and Louis figures he must be really thinking about it. It's weird that Harry doesn't seem to realize he's talking about the author to the author himself but Louis thinks it's way to discover what people really think of him.

"Well," Harry starts and Louis looks up from where he unintentionally started to draw on the table again. Louis grimaces and figures he'll buy a new table for the library if they really have that much of a problem with it.

"Yeah?" Louis urges, bringing the pen up to his mouth once again.

"He—he may be a normal person, yeah? But he's more than that," Harry shrugs. "He's a person that gives people hope. He shows that there can be a happy ending even in the worst situations. He shows that happiness isn't impossible. That people can be saved—especially from themselves."

Louis stays silent but his eyes are telling Harry to go on.

"And I have this theory," Harry starts only to worry his bottom lip between his teeth. He frowns a bit and Louis does his best to keep his mouth shut. He figures Harry will speak on his own accord.

He does.

"This theory, that, uh, Austin Williams doesn't have his own happy ending. Maybe that's just me. It probably is but I just think if he did, he wouldn't write about happy endings. He'd write about other things. I don't know if you know—you probably do since you're a librarian and all," Harry gives Louis a small sort of smile. "But he's not real. That's his pen name. And it makes me wonder, who is this guy really? What is he doing? What's his life like? Is he at least happy? He deserves to be and I think it's a real shame if he's not."

Harry stops again, giving Louis a once over and Louis makes sure to keep his face impassive—he's not sure he could portray his expressions if he tried.

"I guess, I just hope that Austin Williams gets his happy ending, where ever he is, whatever it is that he's doing," Harry says and he's not looking at Louis anymore, rather playing with a ring on one of his fingers.

 _He's sitting here with you_ , Louis thinks to himself. He still doesn't say anything.

"Because if he's going to give others hope for a happy ending, he deserves one himself," is what Harry finishes with and Louis rather than replying to what Harry said just gives the taller boy a long, hard look before nodding.

"Do you have a happy ending?" Louis asks, putting the pen firmly down on to the table.

Harry tilts his head and frowns before shaking it slowly. "Not yet. I will, one day."

Louis considers this, letting it bounce around in his head. "What makes you so sure?" Louis finally settles on asking, propping one leg up on the chair and crossing his other leg over it.

Harry shrugs. "Happy endings are something you have to go out and get, not something that comes to you. I know I'll get mine."

Louis licks his lips before reaching up to fix his glasses. "Happy endings don't exist, Harry."

Harry just smiles but the expression doesn't quite reach his eyes. "Not with that attitude, they don't," Harry states in a confident voice.

Louis itches to tell Harry to fuck off because the boy is making his skin crawl but at the same time, Louis is intrigued.

"I already know I'm not getting a happy ending," Louis informs Harry and his phone buzzes in his pocket before Harry can reply. "I have to take this, sorry," Louis apologizes but really, he's thankful as he practically runs out of his seat back to the front desk.

It’s Liam telling him that Josh Hutcherson is playing the protagonist in the new movie about his book. Louis does not squeal. He doesn’t. Niall does when Louis tells him but he doesn’t. Really.

It occurs to Louis that this is his life, this is his reality. He writes books that people love so much they want movies to be made based off of them.

And _Harry_ likes his books. Harry wants him to be happy. Harry likes him.

Louis sits with Jamie that weekend and he doesn’t leave his apartment at all. He doesn’t open the door or let anyone in at all. He writes, he thinks, he eats, he sleeps. He grows fond of a boy he barely knows.

It’s a process. One he can’t help but let happen. He doesn’t get a choice in the matter, not really. Harry is like an infection, the way he’s causing an itch in Louis’ veins and it’s terribly addicting.

He snuck his way into Louis’ brain and if Louis lingers too long on a thought about the green eyed boy, a warmth seems to unfurl in Louis’ chest.

It’s really bad.

And Louis knows, he knows he couldn’t stop if he tried. He could try to nip it on the bud all he’d like but after writing enough romance novels, he knows there’s no point.

Not when Harry is an actual character out of book, with his dimples and starry eyes. No, Louis is well and truly screwed.

The really sad part is that he’s started to accept it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis figures he never really stood a chance when it came to Harry anyways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy birthday darling Sara, I hope you enjoy this and it's alright for you. And here's a thank you to Maddie because this story exists because she asked me one day to tell her a story and so I did. This story. So here's the end. I hope everyone enjoys. If there are errors, I'm so sorry, I'll go over it tomorrow and check it all over.

The first time Harry asks Louis on a date, Louis nearly chokes on his own lungs which isn’t even physically _possible_.

Louis is standing in the children’s section with Sara who insisted that she needs a new favorite book and that Louis had to help her. The sun is pouring through the slanted windows and Sara is poking aimlessly at books while Louis follows after her.

He fixes his glasses and tugs his jumper sleeve down, faltering in step when Sara stops to flip through another book. Louis lets his eyes roam around and he thinks of the first time he’d ever thought maybe he could do it, that he could end up on these shelves.

He thinks from that point, he’s come a long way. He feels a small smile creep onto his face because Louis—he’s living his dream. If he had to call it a job, then this is his job. And he loves his job.

And while he lives a shitty life, he really doesn’t. It’s all circumstantial. Louis gets to do what he loves as a job and people actually care. He’s made an impact on the world—he’s _important_. And it should be enough, but it isn’t.

Louis doesn’t want to make an impact on the world—well he does but he thinks, he wants to make an impact on one person. He wants to change someone’s entire world and he doesn’t want it to be because of his writing.

He wants it to be because they love him so wholly, that everything changes. That the little details become important.

The days Louis lets himself think of what his life would be like if he had a fairytale are the worst days. He thinks of how he could wake up to the warmth of someone next to him, to the feeling of someone pressed against his bare skin. How he could slip out of bed and go make tea with them walking into the kitchen, rubbing their eyes in their plaid pajama pants.

How Louis wouldn’t even notice and how they’d wrap their arms around his waist and set their head on his shoulder and nuzzle into his neck. Louis would let out a surprised laugh and they’d smile against his skin.

How Louis would turn around in their arms and lean against the counter with a smile playing at his lips. How the person would lean in and kiss him, softly—and Louis’ done it again.

He’s brought it on himself, really. If he thinks of it long enough, a melancholy longing feeling starts to fill his veins, leaving him feeling like all his limbs are full of lead.

Louis blinks and realizes he’s been staring blankly at a bookshelf and he can hear Sara’s voice around the corner. He shakes his head as if it’ll clear his thoughts and jogs to catch up with the little girl.

“Sara, your mother told you that you’re not supposed to run off on your own if I recall correc-“ He cuts himself off, blinking steadily at Harry who has Sara on his back.

“You—I—what are you doing?” Louis finally settles on asking, narrowing his eyes at the pair who smile back at him mischievously. It’s bit alarming that they have the exact same expression, if Louis’ being honest.

“Giving me a piggyback ride!” Sara supplies from behind Harry’s head, leaning around so she can see Louis.

“Right. Of course,” Louis answers slowly before shaking his head slightly. “Tell me why?”

“Oh, right because Harry wanted to ask you a special question and I told him he could after he gave me a piggyback ride so he said okay!” Sara explains, and Harry nods his head along with a twinkle in his eyes that stirs up the familiar warmth in Louis’ chest.

“A special question,” Louis repeats slowly, giving Harry a hard look and Sara nods frantically.

“Very special. I wish someone would ask me it.” Sara sighs into Harry’s neck then twirls a bit of her hair in while looking off longingly towards the bookcases.

Louis furrows his eyebrows in confusion, making his glasses slide up his nose and he immediately reaches up to fix it before fixing Harry with a questioning look.

“What’s the question?” Louis asks, crossing his arms and putting more weight on his left leg as he stares up at the pair.

“I’ll tell you when I come back,” Harry replies, grinning before he turns around and starts to walk away with Sara still perched on his back.

Louis looks on incredulously but he does what he’s told and when Harry comes back, he’s alone. Louis raises his eyebrows significantly and Harry grins.

Harry’s smile is a bit blinding if Louis is honest. Even when it’s the smaller sliver of a smile, it’s achingly beautiful and it hurts to look at it.

“She’s with Niall,” Harry clarifies before taking a step closer to Louis. Louis thinks about moving back before realizing Harry would and still is moving forward.

“Alright,” Louis says slowly and suddenly Harry is right there, within reaching distance. All Harry has to do is just extend his arm and he could settle a hand on Louis’ waist.

Harry blinks down at him before his eyes light up. “So, I wanted to ask you something,” Harry says and he puts his hands in his jean pockets and for the first time since Louis has met him, he looks bashful. Like he’s nervous of whatever he’s going to ask Louis.

“So I’ve been told,” Louis affirms, nodding his head and he gnaws on his bottom lip, another bad habit. Harry’s lucky there isn’t a pen lying around because odds are, Louis would have chewed half of it off by now, with how Harry staring at him like he holds the answer to everything he’s looking for.

Harry gives a soft laugh at that before he looks down and the pretty pink coloring his cheeks is one out of the stories that Louis has written.

“Do you like movies?” Harry asks and he looks up just once to make eye contact with Louis before looking back down at his feet.

Louis isn’t sure where this is going but he starts to nod, “Yeah, I suppose I do?” and he answers it like a question because he’s not sure what Harry wants him to say.

Harry nods at that and Louis can see his dimples appear from where his head is still ducked down and it makes Louis want to smile too, like he’s in on a secret only he and Harry know about.

“What about dinner? Do you like dinner?” Harry asks and now he is looking at Louis again, this hopeful look on his face that Louis would hate to crush.

Louis nods again. “I do quite like dinner,” Louis confirms and Harry’s face breaks into this wide smile.

“Yeah? What about me? Do you like me? As a person?” Harry asks and Louis stops breathing for a moment because what is he supposed to say to _that_.

But if he thinks about it, he really does. Harry’s nice and he laughs like he’s got no worries and he goes out of his way to make people smile.

Louis lowers his own eyes, scratching the back of his neck. “Yeah,” Louis tells him quietly and he swears Harry lets out this little laugh that isn’t a giggle but it is sweet and short and if Louis isn’t a bit gone for this boy, he’s crazy.

“What do you think about a movie and dinner and me all put together? Would you like that?” Harry asks and it takes Louis a moment to catch on.

Louis widens his eyes, looking up at Harry who’s still smiling hopefully but like he’ll be alright if Louis does reject him.

“Are you asking me out on a date?” Louis asks, just to confirm because if he’s reading this all wrong, it’d be too awkward for Louis to even think about.

Harry’s smile doesn’t waver. “Yes, I am,” Harry affirms with a slight tilt to his head.

Louis blinks owlishly multiple times before raising both of his eyebrows. “Me?”

“You,” Harry agrees with a short nod.

And we’re caught up to part where Louis swears he’s choking on his own lungs because this _thing_ in front of him that goes by the name Harry Styles is asking him out on a date.

The thing is, if you ask Louis now what made him say his answer, he’d tell you he doesn’t know because honestly, he doesn’t.

All Louis can thinks is that he doesn’t want that smile to leave Harry’s face, he doesn’t want those bright eyes to dim out and before he can even run it through his brain he says, “Alright.”

“Alright?” Harry repeats and there’s the slow beginnings of what looks like it could be a full blown grin.

Before Louis can think twice, he nods, “Alright.”

“Okay,” Harry says like it’s that simple and then there’s that full blown grin Louis was talking about and Louis swears the sun is shining from Harry’s eyes, the sun, the stars, the moon and everything far and in between.

Louis can’t help but smile back at that—and that smile Harry’s doing, it’s all for him, because of him. He made Harry smile like that.

The pretty pink is back on Harry’s face but Louis thinks it’s for a different reason entirely as Harry starts motioning behind him. “Okay, I’m just going to go—I gave you my number that day, so if you still have it, er, text me, yeah?”

“Okay,” Louis murmurs quietly but Harry must hear it because he lets out this incredulous breathy laugh before he starts to turn around, walking towards the exit of the children’s section. When he trips on a book on the floor on his way out and nearly falls, he just laughs at it and keeps walking before he disappears out of Louis’ sight.

Louis can’t help the small smile that stays on his face as he walks to where the discarded books where on the floor and goes to put them away.

—

“I am _freaking_ out,” Louis mutters into the phone, narrowing his eyes at Jamie who’s clearly judging him from where she’s perched on his bed next to the mountain of clothes Louis has laid out.

“ _Don’t_ ,” Niall emphasizes the word over the phone and Louis can literally hear Niall roll his eyes which makes Louis scowl in return.

“I haven’t been on a date in—Niall, I don’t even remember the last time I was on a date—how does this even work?” Louis starts to pace around and Jamie jumps off the bed to wrap herself around Louis’ legs and he stops to pet her.

She purrs before looking up at him with sad eyes and he sighs before he lowers himself to the floor slowly. He continues to scratch her back lightly as Niall laughs into the phone.

“You’re ridiculous Lou, honestly. You’ll be fine. Relax. Don’t put out on the first date. Or do, it doesn’t even matter. Just enjoy yourself.”

Louis glares at a dark stain on his carpet and Jamie curls up further into his lap. “You’re no help, honestly. All of my friends suck, it’s official. I hate everyone. I’m just going to go jump off the balcony.”

“Lou,” Niall says softly on the other line and Louis feels pathetic at how worked up he must sound just because he's having a date with a dumb boy with a dumb smile.

“Yeah, alright,” And Louis doesn’t know what he’s agreeing to or what he’s even saying in general but Niall sighs in relief on the other line so he figures he said the right thing.

“Just have fun, okay? I think he really likes you. Try to go with the flow,” Niall instructs and Louis rolls his eyes but mutters an affirmative before he hangs up.

From where he’s sat on the floor, the stack of clothes on his bed looks enormous and Louis didn’t even know he owned that many articles of clothing until that morning.

Louis tends to stick to warm jumpers and sweatpants and he thinks he didn’t even buy most of this clothes himself. Must’ve been Zayn, Louis muses to himself as he picks at some black skinny jeans at the bottom of the pile.

He lifts Jamie into his arms and stands up, careful not to startle her and she mewls as he sets her down in her original spot. “Do you want to help?” Louis asks as he gives his cat a helpless look and she looks anything but amused at his antics as she stares back.

But she does start pawing at a plaid shirt on the shirts and Louis shrugs as he leans over to pick it up. It’s presentable and he could wear a plain t-shirt underneath it. He looks back at the jeans he’d been poking at and figures, _why not_ and grabs at it, making the whole mountain of clothes topple over.

Louis scrunches his nose before reaching on the floor and picking up a plain white shirt. He gives the outfit one hard look before nodding to himself and walking to the bathroom. By the time he’s out of the shower, he has fifteen minutes to fix his hair and get ready and Louis honestly is about to call for a rain-check before he realizes, his friends will probably kill him if he cancels on Harry.

It’s frankly ridiculous but Louis sighs and gets to work. Once he’s fashioned his hair into something manageable but what really looks like the fringe he has normally, he puts in his contacts that he rarely wears. He gives himself one more look over in the mirror and figures that he approves just as the buzzer goes off and Louis feels his heart rate go up considerably.

He wasn’t lying to Niall when he said he didn’t know the last time that he’d been on a date and right now there’s a boy waiting for him, a boy who asked him out because he genuinely seems to like Louis and it’s all too much for Louis to handle as he dashes down the hallway to press the button that’ll let Harry up.

After some crazy fan of his managed to find out where he lived apparently tracing it back from Payne Publishing files which is beyond terrifying, Liam hired someone to implement a buzzer since just having the doorman wave anyone through wasn’t working out for them.

Liam then insisted once again, that Louis move into a better place but Louis just scowled and shut the door in his face. He loves his shitty flat the way it is and no other flat would be shitty enough for Louis’ taste.

He can’t think about that as he runs to the door and fixes the collar of his shirt. He pinches the skin beneath his wrist once to make sure that this is all real and that he hasn’t fallen into one of his books.

It hurts and that’s what gives Louis the confidence to open the door when he hears the resounding ring that is his bell go off.

He takes a deep breath before he unlocks the door, pulling it wide open to see Harry standing there smiling at him. Louis nearly forgets to breathe out and he would have if he didn’t try to speak.

Harry’s wearing jeans that look way too tight and a white shirt. He has a pink bandana around his head and it’s so endearing Louis has the mind to just shut the door right there and then but instead, words spill from his mouth. “Nice headpiece,” Louis compliments and somehow it sounds genuine and Harry preens at the words.

“I’m going through a phase—I just really like head accessories.” Then Harry shrugs and holds an arm out, as if he wants Louis to loop his own arm through it.

Louis raises his eyebrows in disbelief and Harry just grins at him so Louis merely grabs his jacket off the hook and closes the door behind him before staring hard at Harry’s arm.

“Well?” Harry asks, tilting his head and his eyes are shining bright, brighter than Louis’ ever seen them and he can’t find it in himself to say no so he rolls his eyes and loops his arm through.

—

By the end of the night, Louis realizes he’s made the worse mistake ever because Louis is now terribly, terribly besotted with Harry Styles.

It’s not even that Louis likes him—well it is, but it’s not like he _wanted_ to. It’s just, Harry is this ridiculous boy with dimples and he’s just so _lovely._

Over the course of the night, Louis thinks he’s smiled more than he’s done in the entire month. It all started when Harry bought gummy bears at the movies and asked Louis to throw them at him so he could catch them in his mouth.

It all went downhill from there.

Now Louis is lying on his bed with Jamie next to him and all he can think is that he’s happier than he’s been in a long time and he can’t help but feel stupid for it.

Harry’s absolutely wonderful and Louis can feel in the hollows of his bones that Harry won’t stick around. He deserves someone better than Louis.

And Louis feels selfish for it but he doesn’t want Harry to leave, he doesn’t want him to disappear. But what Louis wants isn’t what matters and it’s not what will happen.

Louis sighs and rolls over, stuffing his face into Jamie’s side and she doesn’t even react. Even though Louis is going to sleep with thoughts of how Harry’s going to leave, it doesn’t stop Harry’s bright smile from piercing through and it doesn’t stop the small smile on his own face when he eventually drifts off.

—

It doesn’t stop there is the thing. Harry asks him out another date within a week and Louis doesn’t think it’s a surprise to anyone when he just ducks his head with a soft smile on his face and says yes.

Except for Harry who grins like he was the cat that got the cream.

And it’s all different from what Louis’ used to by a longshot. Louis has never had someone like Harry in his life, someone who pops out of nowhere and takes Louis to get ice cream or texts him pictures of women with bacon tattoos.

Someone who takes what he can get and doesn’t push for more.

—

“Hey you,” Harry greets and Louis looks up from where he’s doodling on a notepad.

“That’s not my name,” Louis replies before continuing to scribble across the paper. He’s working at the front desk and it’s ten in the morning. Sometimes Louis wonders where Harry gets all this time to pop in and out of the library so often with his classes but he doesn’t ask because he’s afraid of what Harry might ask back.

“It could be,” Harry says, waggling his eyebrows in a way that has Louis chuckling and every time Harry manages to make him laugh, he seems to glow brighter.

Louis doesn’t understand it but he doesn’t question it either. He thinks other people’s happiness makes Harry happy and that’s something else entirely.

“I think I prefer the L letter over the Y one but thanks for the suggestion,” Louis tells him and Harry snorts before he hops onto the front desk, sitting down just inches from Louis’ notepad.

“I was thinking, that if you’re not busy this Friday, we could go ice skating,” Harry suggests and Louis looks up with a raised eyebrow.

“Ice skating,” Louis repeats in disbelief and Harry nods, one of his hands creeping towards Louis’. Louis can see from the side of his eye and he doesn’t move his hand away which Harry takes as a sign to lace their fingers together.

“It’ll be fun. If you want to go, that is. You don’t have to, I would never force you,” Harry says with a shrug.

Louis stares at their intertwined hands for a few seconds too long before looking back up again. “You just want to see me fall on my ass,” Louis accuses but he’s teasing and Harry laughs loudly.

“No, I promise to catch you if you even slip,” Harry promises and it’s clear he already knows Louis’ going to say yes if the bright grin on his face is anything to go by.

“And what if _you’re_ the one that slips?” Louis asks, putting down his pen so he can turn to look at Harry properly.

“Well then,” Harry pauses, musing, “I suppose you’re coming down with me. Sorry.”

Louis takes a moment to pretend to consider it before he looks at Harry and nods slowly and Harry grins, pressing his lips against Louis’ cheek before hopping off the desk.

Louis feels his face flush and Harry lets out this carefree laugh as he waves and disappears out the door. He thinks of what it would be like to feel those lips against his own and immediately banishes the thought from his mind just as Niall appears around the corner, holding a crate of books.

He stops when he gets to the front desk, putting them down and heaving dramatically while Louis watches with an amused look.

“Alright there, Niall?” Louis asks and Niall flips him off with a grin.

“You’ll never believe what happened,” Niall says after a moment of Louis silently watching him.

“Enlighten me,” Louis offers, putting both elbows on the desk and leaning on them as Niall stands up straight.

“Austin Williams is in love!” Niall replies in whimsical voice before laughing and grabbing the crate, disappearing again before Louis can splutter an actual answer back at him.

Once the boy is truly out of sight Louis manages to say, “He is _not_ ,” to a nearly empty room and an elderly lady at the self-checkout gives him a dirty look.

Louis sinks back in his seat as he mouths an apology at her which she ignores. Louis thinks he’s lost control of his life, a little bit.

—

“No, Louis, just hold on to my hand-“ Harry says only for Louis to fall once again, landing on the cold ice with a resounding smack.

Louis groans and goes to lie down. “Leave me here to die,” Louis insists and from above him Harry looks like a giant with a giggling problem.

“We’re all in this together,” Harry says firmly, reaching down to grab one of Louis’ hands while Louis scoffs at him, letting his body become deadweight.

“You just quoted High School Musical. What kind of hipster _are_ you?” Louis asks in disbelief as Harry seems to give up, choosing instead to crouch beside him. People in the rink cast them curious looks as they maneuver around them but neither of the boys notice.

“I’m not a hipster Louis, how many times do I have to tell you that?” Harry asks, shaking his head lightly and his hand is still on Louis’. It’s nice and warm. Louis doesn’t think he’ll move his own hand away.

“Harry, there’s no point in denying it,” Louis tells him and decides to sit up because there’s cold ice digging into his back and it’s not exactly comfortable.

“You’re ridiculous,” Harry mutters but he’s giving Louis the smile Louis thinks is reserved for him, his _Louis_ smile.

“A bit,” Louis admit and he smiles back because he can’t help it, not really. Harry’s smiles are infectious.

Harry giggles once and Louis feels a warmth bloom in his chest, feels almost as if his heart is swelling from how happy he feels at that moment.

Louis sighs dramatically then, holding his other hand out to Harry. “Show me how to ice skate Styles,” Louis demands and Harry giggles again but helps Louis up.

Louis knows he’s a goner.

—

It translates into Louis’ writing. It translates into how Nathaniel feels like he’s on top of the world each time Isaac laughs and how Isaac holds his hand and how Nathaniel doesn’t let go.

It translates so well, Zayn raises eyebrows each time he reads it over for Louis.

_Isaac shakes his head, drops of water splashing onto Nathaniel who refuses to move from where he was sitting on the warm sand._

_“Come in,” Isaac insists, looking up with bright green eyes and a smile to match._

_Nathaniel shakes his head, feeling his lips turn up the corners. “Not a chance,” Nathaniel states, watching as the green eyed boy shrugs and disappears into the water with a twinkle in his eyes._

_After a while Nathaniel decides to lay down, closing his eyes to block off the sunlight and he realizes that was his biggest mistake when he finds himself being lifted off the ground._

_His eyes fly open in shock, only to see the tanned back with the distinctive letters written in cursive_ when you look for freedom, you are flying _and he knows Isaac is carrying him into the ocean._

_“What are you doing?” Nathaniel objects in horror, twisting his head to try to face Isaac._

_“Carrying you, what does it look like?” Isaac quips and then Nathaniel is underwater. He flails for a second before he feels arms wrap around his torso. A leg slides between his and then there are lips pressing against his own._

_Then he’s breathing in air that smells of seaweed with a gasp and Isaac is looking back at him with a pout. “That seemed more fun in the movies,” Isaac confides and Nathaniel just looks at him in disbelief._

_After a beat of silence, Nathaniel swims closer, eyebrows furrowed. “You’re such a twat,” He murmurs before pulling the taller boy closer and kissing him hard._

“I feel like I’m reading porn,” Zayn announces and Louis looks up from his bowl of cereal with a glare.

“That’s lovely Zayn, do you have a lot of experience in that?” Louis snaps, stuffing another spoonful of Cheerios into his mouth.

“Maybe I do,” Zayn retorts before shutting the laptop screen. “Louis, what are you doing?” Zayn asks softly.

“’M eating breakfast, if you couldn’t tell,” Louis answers, motioning towards his nearly empty bowl.

“That’s not what I meant,” Zayn informs and Louis rolls his eyes as he grabs a napkin to wipe his mouth.

“Yeah and what did you mean?”

“Louis, you’re writing a book about him,” Zayn points out and he looks at Louis with these _eyes_. He always does this. He thinks he can just look at Louis with his soulful, brown eyes and that Louis will suddenly crumble under the pressure and spill everything.

It works nine out of ten times.

“Yeah, so? I’ve written a book about you before too,” Louis reminds, standing up and rinsing his bowl out. He thinks that maybe the louder the water is, the less likely he’ll be able to hear what Zayn is saying.

“That’s not all though,” Zayn calls over the sound of rushing water and Louis shuts it off with a dejected feeling. He puts the bowl in the dishwasher and turns to Zayn with a hard face.

“Oh, there’s more, is there?” Louis intones sarcastically and Zayn falters in what he’s about to say for a second.

“Louis,” Zayn murmurs slowly, “You’re writing about yourself.”

Suddenly Louis’ shitty apartment feels too shitty and suddenly the walls seem like they’re closing in. There’s not enough space for Louis to breathe and Louis knows he has to get out.

So Louis doesn’t say anything, just grabs his coat and slides his feet into a pair of slippers and walks out.

—

They don’t talk about it is the thing. Not after that. Liam drops by and watches Louis with careful eyes but he doesn’t say anything.

Harry’s the only person that treats him like he’s normal.

Louis doesn’t know if that makes it better or worse as he continues to write about how everyone makes Nathaniel seem like an outsider except for Isaac. How Isaac is Nathaniel’s anchor.

Harry asks him out on more dates—he makes him dinner one day and takes him on a picnic the next, takes him to a drive through theater and then eats fast food with him with the windows down. Takes him out to get frozen yogurt then licks it off Louis’ nose. Takes him bird watching then to the Starbucks on his campus for a cup of coffee.

And Louis says yes to every single one.

Two months pass by and Louis feels his heart both swell and shrivel with each passing day. He’s scared Harry could disappear within the blink of an eye but each day that he doesn’t, it feels like Louis is winning something.

He wakes up morning texts filled with too many emojis to be normal and goes to sleep with a similar text.

Louis wonders if this is what being in love feels like.

There’s a near permanent smile on Louis’ face now and his eyes are brighter than they’ve been in a long time. And he knows, he knows it’s because of a curly haired boy with a heart big enough to love even the messiest people.

Not that Louis thinks Harry loves him. But, it’s a possibility Louis withholds from considering because he’s too scared to think about it.

But the thing is, Louis thinks he’s happy.

—

 “She let him drown, Harry,” Louis tells him, shaking his head and Harry pouts from where his head is situated in Louis’ lap.

“She had to let him go Lou, how else would she have survived?” Harry says back before grabbing the remote and raising the volume of the television where Titantic is playing.

“Harry, there was room on that door for both of them, if she’d just moved, Leonardo DiCaprio could have lived on. He died for that stupid bit-“ Louis goes to say but Harry covers Louis’ mouth before he can and Louis smiles against his hand.

“Don’t,” Harry instructs. “I watched something where it said the weight of both of them would have sunk the door, so that wouldn’t work,” He tells him and Louis licks his hand which causes Harry to just keep staring at him with a smirk.

Finally Louis raises his own hand to pull Harry’s away and Harry just slides his fingers in between Louis’ with a grin and Louis rolls his eyes but he can’t help the small smile he gives back.

Once Harry moves his hand and turns back to the movie, Louis immediately pushes him against the couch, straddling his hips and Harry exhales a sudden burst of air, eyes widening.

Louis thinks Harry looks pretty like this, underneath him with eyes that are burning into Louis’ but then Louis remembers Harry is always pretty.

“Is the weight of me sinking you?” Louis asks with a grin and Harry just keeps staring blankly at him. “I’m pretty sure it is.” Louis gives a little bounce to emphasize his point. “Further into the couch at least, maybe not the Atlantic ocean.”

Harry doesn’t say anything and Louis gives him a curious look. “Alright there, pal?” Louis teases and leans down to brush his nose against Harry’s.

“Um,” Harry mutters unintelligibly and that’s when Louis feels that Harry is hard underneath him. Louis leans back, raising his eyebrows.

“Does Leonardo DiCaprio do it for you too?” Louis continue to tease and he shifts down just slightly and Harry’s mouth falls open.

Louis’ done this before but never with someone he cares about. Harry and him haven’t really had a chance and Louis figures it’s not like he has any plans and Harry may be panting beneath him and if that’s not hot, Louis doesn’t know what is.

Louis leans down and he pauses for a second, eyes flickering over Harry’s face but he presses his lips against Harry’s. Harry sighs open mouthed against Louis’ lips and Louis takes it as a sign for him to fit his lips between Harry’s.

He bites down on Harry’s bottom lip and the curly haired boy exhales sharply. Louis feels Harry’s hands come up to hold his waist, his fingers sliding underneath Louis’ jumper.

Louis pulls back and reaches down to tug at Harry’s shirt and Harry moves underneath Louis, pushing himself into a sitting position as he slips his shirt over his head in one swift movement.

Louis finds himself observing every freckle and dot marked in Harry’s skin and one of his hands go to trace the two bird tattoos on Harry’s chest. When he catches Harry staring at him in awe, he flushes.

Louis’ legs are on either side of Harry’s thighs and he lifts them, wrapping them around Harry’s waist instead. Harry takes it differently than Louis meant as he places his hands underneath Louis’ bum and stands up, carrying them both to Louis’ bedroom.

Louis lets out a soft sound of surprise when Harry presses him against the wall, his bruised looking lips going to Louis neck, marking the skin there. Louis slips his legs down Harry’s legs until he’s standing.

Harry’s knees nudge Louis’ legs and he spreads them apart, allowing Harry to slip into the space between them. Harry’s mouth moves down to Louis’ collarbones, biting softly at them before he stands back. He pulls at Louis’ jumper and Louis lifts his arms, letting Harry slip it off.

Then suddenly Harry drops to his knees, looking up at Louis through hooded eyes, poking Louis’ in the stomach softly, grinning at Louis in a knowing fashion. “Cute tummy,” Harry murmurs and Louis goes to swat Harry’s hand and send him a glare when Harry starts to palm Louis through his jeans, making his cock strain against the fabric and Louis swears that his eyes roll back in pleasure.

Harry’s long fingers hook on the loops of Louis’ jeans again but this time with more purpose as he pulls them down abruptly. Harry’s hands are on either of Louis’ thighs and when Louis looks down he seems to be smiling at what he’s caused and Louis thinks he might be panting.

Louis glances down at Harry, noticing his jeans are still on and he taps the back of Harry’s head lightly making Harry glance up at him with a curious expression.

“Why is that I’m almost naked and you’re still wearing most of your clothes?” Louis’ voice is slightly hoarse but he gets his message across.

Harry laughs lightly, standing up and sliding out of his jeans easily. Louis doesn’t know how he does it since they looked like they’re sewed on but he does.

“Better?” Harry asks with a grin and Louis rolls his eyes, pushing the curly haired boy back until the back of his knees hit the bed. When Louis gives one more push, Harry easily falls back, looking up at Louis with shiny eyes.

“Much,” Louis confirms as he crawls on top of Harry.

“You really are pretty,” Harry murmurs after a moment and then he’s rolling them over, sliding down the bed at the same time. He stops at Louis’ waistline and his eyes staring at the bulge in Louis’ boxers before he glances up at Louis in mirth.

Suddenly Harry’ tongue is against the fabric of Louis’ boxers and Louis gasps, bucking his hips desperately for more but Harry just moves over to the side, sucking love bites into the insides of Louis’ thighs instead.

Louis whimpers quietly. “Harry,” Louis mumbles, trying to refrain from bucking his hips again and it’s clear Harry can tell from when he stops biting to grin into Louis’ skin.

“Yes Louis?” Harry asks, looking up through his fluttering eyelashes, his thumb teasingly settling down on the waistband on Louis’ boxers.

“Don’t be an asshole,” Louis groans and Harry laughs, head thrown back and it occurs to Louis that Harry is terribly beautiful. Louis doesn’t think he’s real.

“Wasn’t trying to be,” Harry says before he crawls up Louis until he’s facing Louis. “Want you to fuck me,” Harry admits, mouthing at Louis’ collarbones and Louis inhales sharply before nodding.

“I can do that,” Louis agrees and Harry pulls away, eyes bright.

“Thank you,” Harry murmurs and Louis thinks this boy is going to be the downfall of him. Louis rolls out from underneath Harry, going to the drawer to grab a bottle of lube and a condom.

When he rolls around, Harry is naked and he’s grinning widely at Louis while his cock sticks up obscenely against his stomach. It’s quite possible Louis is having sex with a five year old.

Louis slips off his own boxers as he goes to settle between Harry’s legs. He applies a thick amount of lube onto his fingers before he slips one inside of Harry who doesn’t react other than shifting onto his elbows to watch Louis.

Louis moves it carefully, as not to move too quickly until Harry pushes down for more and Louis adds a second finger. It’s when he does that he notices the tattoo on the inside of Harry’s thigh.

_so I pleaded_

_kiss me so hard_

_I forget colors_

And the thing is, he recognizes it. Recognizes it from _Just Too Blind To See_ , his second book and it’s all too much. Louis forces it from his mind, instead focusing on the soft sounds Harry’s making.

He crooks his fingers and precome spits out of Harry’s angry looking cock. His own is neglected and he’s barely refraining from rubbing off on his bed sheets.

“Do you need another?” Louis asks and Harry shakes his head rapidly and he meets Louis’ gaze.

“Need you inside,” Harry grunts and his thighs are shaking. Louis presses a soft kiss against one—and if it’s against the tattoo, well, it is what it is—and he moves, reaching for the condom and lube. He rips the packet open with his teeth since his fingers are too slippery and he manages to roll it on. The he drizzles lube on to his fingers, reaching down to wrap a hand around his cock once, twice before it’s an easy glide.

Louis looks back up at Harry and his pupils are blown so wide only a small ring of green is present. He watches as Harry licks his lips and the taller boy seems to be shuddering.

He’s just lying there, thighs spread out and open for Louis and he’s so pretty it’s ridiculous. He looks wrecked without even being fucked.

Louis shuffles forward, cock nudging at Harry’s entrance and it’s Harry that grinds down so Louis enters him. Louis holds his breath and Harry seems to mewl underneath him and then there are hands tugging his head down to his mouth crashes into Harry and the movement pushes him forward a couple of inches.

Louis places his own hands on Harry’s hips and starts to move slowly, and it’s clear Harry’s desperate for it as he whimpers into Louis’ mouth. Harry’s legs hook around his back, pushing him harder and Louis laughs into Harry’s mouth.

He starts to move quicker and he reaches down to wrap a fist around Harry’s cock. Harry bucks at that and he’s so _needy_ and it’s incredibly hot if Louis’ being honest. The thing is, Harry is actually really tight and he’s squeezing around Louis’ cock.

Louis slides out until only the head of his cock is still inside before slamming back inside and he thinks he can hear Harry’s bones rattling beneath him.

Harry’s making these little gasp like noses every time Louis pushes back inside him and Louis strokes Harry’s cock only for a choking sound to escape Harry’s throat.

Louis snaps his hips and keeps a steady pace as he fucks into Harry who throws his head back and Louis instead bites at the pale skin on Harry’s throat.

Harry unwraps his legs and slides them higher up until they’re rested near Louis’ shoulders and the angle changes and suddenly Louis is fucking deeper inside Harry.

He knows when he hits Harry’s prostate because the boy lets out a broken moan and starts scratching Louis’ back.

“I’m gonna-“ Harry says and it comes out more like a sob. Harry doesn’t even finish his sentence before he comes all over his own stomach and the sight of Harry lying there covered in his own come and starry eyes causes Louis to do the same inside of Harry after _one, two, three_ thrusts.

He nearly turns boneless on top of Harry and he has just enough energy to pull out and tie the condom before throwing it over the side of the bed. Then he remembers Harry and reaches out to grab a tissue from his left side and he rolls over to face Harry who’s lying there with a small smile on his face and Louis can’t help the kiss he presses against Harry’s arm before he goes to clean Harry’s stomach.

Harry turns towards Louis at the touch and Louis moves closer, throwing the tissue on the floor with the discarded condom.

“C’mere,” Harry mumbles and he spreads his arms wide and Louis does. Usually after he has sex, he waits until the other person is asleep before slipping out but right now, he’s content to just lie in Harry’s arms. He’s content to do that forever if Harry will let him.

When he falls asleep, it’s to the steady beat of Harry’s heart.

—

When Harry asks Louis to be his boyfriend, it shouldn’t come as a surprise but it does. It’s nothing Louis ever saw coming and it’s been three whole months since Harry first asked Louis to go on a date with him.

It’s a bit random too. They’re just watching some stupid movie on Netflix and Louis is nearly asleep when Harry asks.

Louis thinks he’s dreaming but he wakes up to a blowjob as Harry’s first present to his boyfriend. It’s ridiculous and it makes Louis giggle afterwards when Harry tells him.

It’s a week later Louis realizes that he’s in love with the stupid boy with dimples. That shouldn’t come as a surprise either but it does and it hits Louis when he’s writing.

Louis writes _and every bone in my body fits with his and it’s not obvious, not with us but it’s too obvious. It’s obvious in the way he smiles at me and in the way I smile at him. It’s obvious in the way I can feel his soul thrumming beneath my fingers when I trace his skin and the way our hands slip together effortlessly. It’s obvious in the way that I am in love with him as he is in love with me._

It’s that one paragraph that makes him realize, he’s actually in love with Harry and his sweet smile and bright eyes and pale skin and ridiculous sense of humor and just every part of him.

And the realization scares Louis but he’s okay with it. He doesn’t feel like everything is closing in on him—he feels like everything is opening up.

He’s opening up.

—

“What’s got you so excited?” Louis asks Harry, biting on the end of his pen as he looks up where a book is on the computer database for the young boy standing on the other side of the desk.

Harry turns to him curiously and he’s on his laptop, doing some assignment for one of his teachers but Louis can feel his leg bouncing alongside Louis’ and he sees the way Harry’s knuckles are drumming against the table.

“What do you mean?” Harry hasn’t stopped either of the things and Louis points to the left for the boy who scurries off before turning towards Harry.

“You’ve been jumpy all morning,” Louis informs and Harry furrows his eyebrows in confusion. Louis reaches out to smooth it over before taking Harry’s hand off the desk and holding it in his own. “Anything you’re looking forward to?” Louis questions, straightening Harry’s fingers before sliding his own fingers between them.

Harry pauses, thinking and he starts shaking his head slowly before he stops, looking at Louis brightly. “Oh, right, there’s supposed to be some announcement on Austin William’s website today. They usually do that when his new book is about to come out.”

Louis bites down on his bottom lip but he’s careful not to let anything show in his expression. “Yeah? At what time?” Louis asks and he quite honestly doesn’t know. He leaves all of that for Zayn to figure out since he’s the one that designed the website in the first place.

“At noon,” Harry answers and Louis lifts an eyebrow in confusion.

“It’s a quarter past noon though?” Louis says slowly and it comes out like a question. Harry looks confused himself before he sees the time on his own laptop and he looks like he’s been lied to.

“It’s a quarter past noon,” Harry repeats in disbelief and Louis laughs before motioning towards Harry’s laptop.

“Go on, I know you’re dying to check,” Louis says and Harry does just that. Louis hooks his chin over Harry’s shoulder and watches Harry type into the address bar.

When Harry’s on the page, there’s a huge post at the time labeled **BIG ANNOUNCEMENT** and Harry clicks on it. Louis reaches up and pushes his glasses up his nose so he can read properly. Usually he doesn’t bother because he trusts Zayn knows what to say but it is in front of him so why not.

 _You heard it here first! Austin William’s new book will be releasing next week, on January 15 th. Pre-order here and get your copy a day early. Mr. Williams has taken a different turn as some of you already know as the two main characters happen to both be of the male gender and happen to fall in love. Mr. Williams was inspired by real life events and it’s resulted in a hauntingly beautiful book. The title is _Find A Love That Feels This Right _or shortened:_ FALTFTR _. The book is truly inspiring as are the rest of Mr. Williams’ books. We’re aware the book is a bit late but trust us when we say it’s worth it. Sadly, Mr. Williams had faced a bit of a writer’s block late last year and we thank his muse for not only inspiring him to write this book but inspiring him in general._

-          _ZM and LP._

_ PRE-ORDER HERE _

_ FIND A LOCAL BOOK STORE NEAR YOU _

_ READ MORE ABOUT AUSTIN WILLIAMS _

Louis thinks it says a lot about him and how he’s changed that the first thing he does isn’t call Zayn and Liam and call them both a range of insults.

Instead he looks up at Harry who seems to be skimming the last lines with a grin on his face. He nudges Harry gently and Harry nudges back.

“I’m so excited,” Harry admits and Louis bites lightly on Harry’s shoulder before moving away.

“Yeah? Well, if I said I could get you an extra early copy of the book, would I be the best boyfriend ever?” Louis asks and his heart thumps harder than usual in his chest.

Harry’s eyes look like they’re about to pop from his head when he turns to face Louis. “I’d say you’re already the best boyfriend ever,” Harry answers slowly.

Louis smiles at that, even though his palms are starting to sweat. “Remember my friend Liam? From dinner last month?”

Harry nods, licking his lips. “Yeah, he had the cool arrow tattoos,” Harry recalls and Louis can see his leg is bouncing up and down again.

“Well, Liam is actually the head of Payne Publishing. So.” Louis lets that sentence hang there for a while, waiting for Harry to swallow it down.

When the words seem to register, Harry’s mouth falls open. “Your Liam is Liam Payne?” Harry marvels with a look of wonder in his eye.

Louis nods and Harry looks like he might actually go into cardiac arrest so Louis wraps his ankle around Harry’s, anchoring him.

“That’s—well—I, okay, wow,” Harry settles on saying and he looks like he’s in awe.

Louis smiles again and he thinks his eye are crinkling in that way he doesn’t like. “So, if you want, I can get the book to you by tomorrow?” Louis offers and he doesn’t expect it when Harry quite literally jumps on to his lap, hugging him tightly.

Louis is suddenly very glad his stool is bolted to the ground.

“That would be wonderful,” Harry murmurs in his ear and Louis just smiles into Harry’s neck, wrapping his own arms around Harry’s back.

What he doesn’t tell Harry is that he has at least five copies lying around his apartment because Zayn likes to bring a new one each time he comes over.

“Then it’d be just like you, wouldn’t it?” Louis teases and Harry laughs in his ear and Louis thinks if this goes the way it’s supposed to, he might be more than happy.

—

Louis gives it to Harry the next day and he wonders if Harry notices that the picture on the cover is a picture he took on one of their dates with his crappy iPhone.

He figures it doesn’t matter.

Harry smiles brighter than the sun when Louis hands it to him and he promises that Louis is the best boyfriend in the world which makes Louis laugh.

Harry doesn’t come around for a few days.

Louis has no idea what to make of that because maybe that’s just how Harry is when he reads a book he’s been awaiting for months. He does text Louis though so at least he hasn’t cut off all contact with him.

But still.

Louis is more scared than he’ll admit and he tells Jamie as much. She just nuzzles his face and he thinks she’s hoping for the best too.

Niall smiles supportively every time he passes by Louis and he stops once to tell Louis that the new book moved him to tears before he continues on like he didn’t say anything.

The day his book actually releases, the feedback is amazing. Everyone loves it and says it’s their favorite so far. The critics say he brought raw emotion into his writing and Harry texts him saying he’s nearly done with one emoji of a book. That’s it.

Louis thinks that text is more important than the fans’ reactions or how the critics feel.

When he opens his door that night, someone is sitting at the small table in his kitchen. He’s about to scream and run out before he realizes it’s just Harry.

He breathes a silent sigh of relief at that before his whole body fills with tension and he hangs up his coat. He slides off his shoes before he walks into the kitchen quietly.

Harry doesn’t turn around and Louis reaches for the lights which flicker once before turning on. He turns back to Harry who has the book in front of him and he’s staring blankly at it.

Louis sits down across from Harry and he wraps his ankle around Harry’s like he does more often that he tends to notice. “Harry?” Louis asks softly and Harry looks up, blinking quickly.

“You’re Austin Williams,” Harry announces quietly, eyes trained on Louis.

Louis feels his heart skip a beat and he’s terribly afraid but he nods slowly, watching Harry carefully and it’s only then he realizes there are tears in the younger boy’s eyes.

“You’re Austin Williams,” Harry repeats and Louis nods again as Harry start to continue, “And you’ve never had a happy ending.”

Louis freezes at this point and stares at Harry with a blank face because his emotions seem to forget how to work.

Then Harry looks back down at the book in his hands before blinking back up at Louis. “Is this real?” Harry asks. And Louis _knows_ , he knows he’s asking whether the book is about is about him, whether Louis really thinks Harry is his happy ending.

Louis stays still for a moment and Harry just continues to stare. Finally Louis nods for the third time and whispers, “Yes,” so quietly he wonders if Harry heard.

He knows Harry did when he hears Harry get up and he resigns himself to the fact that Harry is going to leave but then Louis’ being pulled out of the chair and pressed against the wall with lips fitting against his.

Louis is confused for a moment before he realizes Harry didn’t leave, that Harry’s here and that he’s kissing him.

Louis kisses back, eyes falling shut and then Harry pulls back. Louis opens his eyes to see Harry staring at him with this warm look and Louis think it’s the epitome of a happy ending. Harry’s eyes is what happy endings are.

“I love you,” Harry murmurs and Louis knows he means it, he can see it written all over Harry’s face. Harry’s a bit of an open book.

Louis’ never had the strength to say those three words before, not when he didn’t believe in happy endings but for Harry, he can. Because Harry makes him believe anything is possible. “And I love you,” Louis says back, resting his forehead against Harry’s.

“Yours. I’m yours. All yours. Your happy ending if you’ll let me be,” Harry tells him quietly and in that moment, Louis thinks Harry can be anything he wants to be and if that’s Louis’ happy ending, Louis is okay with that.

Louis nods slowly and Harry kisses him again. Louis can’t help smiling into the kiss and he knows it’s okay when Harry does the exact thing. It all sort of works out.

Because Harry Styles is his happy ending.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos are always appreciated. :)
> 
> Also, I can be reached at [@deepestIove](http://twitter.com/deepestIove/) on twitter and [lourrynavy](http://lourrynavy.tumblr.com/) on tumblr! :D


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